償還のルルーシュ Code Geass - Lelouch of the Redemption
by Tahkaullus01
Summary: 'All tasks at hand have been cleared.' He should have known by now – something he never planned for is about to happen. He really needs a new catchphrase. Lelouch is sent back to the start of his journey. With future knowledge and a cooler head can Lelouch Lamperouge correct the mistakes of the past? Or is he still headed for Suzaku's blade? K.KxL.LxC.C. Rating subject to change.
1. Prologue: A World Destroyed

**Hey! New project. Not sure if it'll go anywhere. Reviews will decide that (hint hint). So yeah I know there are quite a few of these 'Lelouch goes back in time to fix it all' stories out there. Gotta say, some of them I like. And I have to admit I like a good do-over story. So I decided to jump on the bandwagon and do one of my own.  
Just the prologue for now, to give you a taste of my writing style. If you like it, tell me. If it needs improving, tell me. If you think I should cut it out and do something else, by all means be polite about it.  
So, without further ado...what's that? A disclaimer? But I wanna get on with the story an-  
Admin: Tahkaullus01 has been suspended due to copywrite infringme-  
*beats the admin to death with Zero's mask*  
****Okay, okay! Anyway, the following is a fan-based piece of literature. The characters, locations, and events of Code: Geass - Lelouch of the Rebellion are all owned by Sunrise, Gorō Taniguchi and written by Ichirō Ōkouchi. Please support the official release.**

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Prologue  
A World Destroyed

If he could have been in two places at once, Lelouch suspected he may have applauded himself for this final deception of his.

The plan was brilliant, turning the hatred of the entire world, soldier and civilian alike, onto himself. He held no belief that the legion that stood either side of his convoy held any love for him, or that the pilots of the Vincent Ward Knightmares preceding him and his former comrades, now his captives, would truly fight to the best of their ability to defend him if any certain interloper just happened to appear. Even his former Red Queen, Kallen Kozuki, had to despise him by this point, and he already knew that any affection that his sister had for him was long gone.

It had to be this way, otherwise the appearance of Zero, the mask now worn by his last remaining friend and one-time enemy Suzaku Kururugi, would not have had as satisfying a silence as the one that now overtook the entire procession. Disbelief was likely to be written on the faces of every citizen present and around the world as the last remaining Black Knight, believed to have been killed in the second battle of the Tokyo Settlement three months ago, stood tall and proud before his long time enemy, now personified in the form of the man who created him. The odds were impossible, one man against six Vincents with nothing but a sword to protect him? Preposterous. But then...

_'Wherever oppressors use their power to attack those who are powerless, we shall appear again, no matter how mighty, how formidable our foe may be..' _

The words of a lifetime ago, when he had only just been starting out, echoed through Lelouch's mind and he could help but feel his lips tug upwards as he watched his symbol of freedom charge forwards.

So far so good, Zero had appeared. The rest would be up to Suzaku. _Considering how good he always was at ruining my plans before, this should be a cakewalk for him. _

He almost laughed at the stunned cries of the crowd as they watched their masked saviour weave around the bullets of the Vincents. Couldn't they see that this couldn't possibly be their Zero? The man who made grandiose speeches and dramatic motions was a strategist, not a front-line man. He was broader too, thanks to Suzaku's continuous training over the years, which had meant additional adjustments to the suit. Being tailor made, it had required a whole new jacket and shirt to complete the look. The shirt had been easy to replace, the jacket not so much, and Suzaku had had his own comments to make about the outfit, insisting that the trousers be given a bit of slack to allow for easier movement.

"After all," he'd joked, "if I'm gonna kill you, shouldn't I be able to get around without the suit bunching up around my-" Lelouch had shut him up right there, not wanting to hear it, and just agreed to go along with whatever modifications he wanted. It had been one of the last times the two of them had truly been able to laugh together.

_I guess knowing you get to kill your love's murderer makes you forgiving. _He thought to himself grimly, the invisible smile becoming a bitter one as he remembered the disaster of the Massacre Princess.

Zero had now cleared the Vincents, by jumping over the lead one. Again, Lelouch marvelled over how the crowd was lapping it all up, knowing that he could never have pulled something like that off. Nevertheless it was effective in its own way, as he noted that all eyes were on Zero now, not the Vincents or the former Black Knights, not Schneizel or Jeremiah even as the latter took his cue and called for the Knightmares to cease fire, jumping down to give Zero the last push he needed to reach his goal. Everyone's attention was now on the masked knight of the people, the last of his kind, as he soared through the air, pushing off of Jeremiah's shoulder the same way that they had practised over and over again until it was perfect.

He landed behind Schneizel and then he was gone.

He knelt down in front of Nunnally for only a moment, and then he leapt away, his target finally within reach.

And at last, Lelouch and Zero came face to face. Emperor and Saviour, Demon and Knight. Destroyer and Creator, though that last one was a bit blurry.

_This is it..._and for an insignificant moment, Lelouch hesitated. This was the moment that he had planned for, since the death of his mother and father three months ago, to destroy the old world and usher in a new one in its place. But for that world to end, he also had to be done away with. And that meant he had to die.

Though he had already told Suzaku that he would gladly relinquish his life without a second thought if it meant peace, the truth was that Lelouch had searched for a different solution throughout his short reign, anything else that could be done other than that. He'd delved into the very core of his mind, gone through every strategy, every possible outcome, everything he could think of. Because he had to know, for certain and without a doubt, that his death was the only way to end it. He'd even, to his shame, considered taking C.C's Code of Immortality for himself in one bleak moment, and had immediately smacked the idea away. Such an act of betrayal would have been right up there with what he'd done to Nunnally and Euphie, he couldn't do that to her as well. Not her...not his Witch.

She wasn't here, but then he knew that she wouldn't be. Though he had made no comment, Lelouch hadn't wanted her to be here, to see him fall even if it was required.

Ever since that first journey into the World of C, when he had discerned the true terms of their contract, Lelouch had seen her in a different light. Or rather he'd seen what C.C protected. Cera, that scared quivering girl who had called him 'Master,' the girl she had been before Geass made her the focus of every man, woman and child's affections, so far that some had gone to the lengths of building a cult around her. It had worn her down until she was finally tricked into taking the Code of Immortality from the Nun who had granted her power. That had been the end of Cera, and over the following years, torture, murder, burning, and likely more than one assault on her person would have hardened her into the unflinching C.C, the woman loved by none who sought to end her meaningless existence.

But even after she had recovered her memories, Lelouch found himself stalling. It wasn't just that killing her would have made the Zero Requiem redundant, but he had honestly grown to appreciate her own unique personality and all the quirks that came with it.

She'd once made a sarcastic remark about his worry over her, he'd responded that it was because she was a valued combatant. The truth was much more...but he couldn't say. He didn't have the time to say...and now he'd never get the chance.

He could only hope, as time started to move again, that she would find another to make a contract with. For now, his cue had been given, it was time to end the show.

Scowling furiously at the masked knight, the Emperor rose from his throne. "Impudent fool!" He snarled, reaching into his jacket, "You should have stayed hidden in the rabble!"

Zero said nothing, even as the Emperor pointed a pistol at him, he didn't have to. It was the actions of the man within that made the knight, so it had been with the first Zero and so would it be with this new one. With one swift motion, he disarmed the Emperor with his sword before bringing the blade before him again.

_Here it comes..._ he didn't steel himself for whatever pain was to come. Instead he welcomed it. This was his punishment after all, for the price of using his Geass to get him this far. For Cornelia, the sister he had disgraced. For Euphie, no matter what the cause, he couldn't die enough times. For Kallen's confused state of mind. For Ohgi and Tohdoh. Kaguya and Rakshata, hell even for Diethard the opportunistic bastard. For the whole Order of the Black Knights, and for the whole world, Lelouch vi Brittania would sacrifice his life as the Demon Emperor, the enemy of all, and give everyone the chance to begin anew.

And then it was done...there was no pain. Then again it was Suzaku who was killing him, for a professional soldier this was an easy job, practised for more than a thousand years. But even as everything quieted, he could hear the hitched breath of his oldest friend behind the mask, the tell-tale give away that he was crying. If it was any other time, he would have asked him why, why shed a tear for the man who had taken so much away?

Oh well, not that it mattered. Nothing mattered now. Only his last orders remained, their mutual punishment was nearly complete and then he could rest at last.

It was just the two of them, they were too far away for anyone else to figure out what he was doing, though he suspected by Kallen's brief outburst as this last act was played out that she was figuring things out. Clever girl. All the same though, this needed doing. For the good of the world, more than one man had to die today.

Resting his head on Suzaku's shoulder, Lelouch drove his own brand of sword into his friend. "The punishment for what you have done shall be this then..." he whispered, dropping the role of the Emperor completely, raising a bloody hand to the black mask, caressing it gently "you will live on, always wearing that mask, serving as a knight for justice and truth. You will no longer live your life as Suzaku Kururugi, you shall sacrifice the ordinary pleasures of your life in benefit of the world for eternity."

There was a brief pause and for a moment he wondered if the plan was about to fall apart, as only Suzaku Kururugi could cause it to. If there was no Zero, then the nations would fall into turmoil again, without this first figurehead of justice then how could others be expected to arise? The world needed Suzaku to die just as much as it needed Lelouch to. And then he heard a steady breath, the grip on the sword impale in his chest becoming that little bit firmer.

"This Geass..." Zero replied, "I do solemnly accept."

The sword then made its return journey out of his chest, the momentum of it pulling him forward. His body little more than a puppet that had lost its strings, Lelouch could do nothing but follow it forward, with his nervous system destroyed there was nothing he could do to control his legs...he couldn't even feel his legs. He tumbled forwards, going head over heels and then sliding down the walkway and leaving a bloody smear in his wake over the Brittannian coat-of-arms...his final act of defiance in a way.

A human only had to lose half his bloody supply before the body's functions began to shut down, he had to have lost more than that by now. He barely felt Nunnally as she knelt by his side, trying to understand what she had just witnessed.

He couldn't see her anymore._ How fitting._ For what right did a brother who manipulated his beloved sister the way he had, even if it was for her own good, to look upon her? There was not a shred of doubt in his mind as everything faded away that her last words were to curse him. Nevertheless, he had done it. At last he had done it.

Nunnally's world, Euphie's world, a gentler world, was about to be born.

_Yes..._it was over. Only one remained, and that was himself. But that problem should take care of itself momentarily "I...destroy the world..." he was so tired... "and create it..." so very tired... "anew." It was time to sleep.

And so the Zero Requiem concluded.

_All tasks at hand have been achieved._

* * *

He really should have known better than to think that...

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**A/N Every time he thinks that something goes wrong. Now before you rail at me, no I haven't changed the canon ending. Nunnally's words were exactly the same as in the anime. However, we're seeing this from Lelouch's POV and he's _dying, _which means he likely couldn't hear her. But then I've never died so I couldn't say. This is just my interpretation.  
Anyway, what do you think? I'll have chapter one up in a bit so take your time with that one as well. I'm going to try to build off the canon until the SAZ and the...incident that occurs there. Not sure where I'll go from there. Only time will tell.**


	2. Turn 1 A Warlock Awakens

**Okay! I promised you all a chapter one and that is what you shall receive. We're back at the start ladies and gents, so that means a group death, some character establishment, and messing with people's minds. This is Code:Geass, mind screwing is required. Anyway let's get on with it. Decide whether or not this is what you want. I await your reviews.  
If you want a disclaimer go to the prologue. I've already killed one admin, probably best we keep it that way.**

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**Chapter 1  
A Warlock Awakens**

**The Demon**

How long did he sleep? Even afterwards he wasn't entirely sure of that answer. At times it felt like it had been years on end and he was staring upon the world with wizened eyes that only a lifetime of living can bring. Other times it felt as if no time had passed at all and he could feel the slight bump on his head after he toppled from his throne and slid down beside his most precious captive.

All Lelouch did know was that when he first closed his eyes he had been clad in the elegant white imperial garb of the Brittannian Emperor that should be drenched with his blood, Nunnally staring over his broken body. He would have been quite happy to never open them again.

And in that moment, he reminisced. The world had been saved...at the cost of everything he held dear. He'd started out with such an optimistic, if twisted, confidence that he could now obliterate Brittannia with his Geass power. Plans upon plans made before the contract had been thrown out the window in that moment and he'd charged forward with reckless abandon. And in doing that, he'd forgotten to check the most dangerous factor of all in his rebellion: Himself.

He'd been foolish enough not to learn about Geass in it's entirety, he hadn't cared to. All that he knew was that he had a weapon that could destroy his father. And because of that carelessness his beloved sister Euphie had ended up a mass murderer, acting on the indirect orders of his now-permanent Geass. All he could do to atone was kill her. Thanks to his foolishness, the ideal of the Special Area of Japan had collapsed, becoming the site of a bloodbath.

If he had a chance to change that, Lelouch would have taken it in a heartbeat. There were very few members of his family that he could still claim that he loved. His late mother no longer ranked as a member of that group. Euphemia never left. _Euphie...beloved sister...if there was anyway that you could find it in you to forgive me, I pray you do not. Not until I can forgive myself._

But it wasn't just his ignorance of Geass that he cursed himself over. Moreso Lelouch saw his arrogance in his early tactics, his childish belief that he was the supreme master of the battlefield. There had been more than one battle fought over the course of the rebellion that had proved the notion false. Early on, Cornelia had torn him apart for his silly belief that he could make her play into his hands like he had Clovis and as a result, he'd gotten the soldiers under his command killed. Never mind that they were terrorists, they had relied on him and he had failed them. Another example had been the battle in China where Xingke Li showed him just how prepared he truly wasn't to fight an enemy in his home turf. Their eventual victory was more down to pure luck and opportunity rather than any strategy he could have thought up. More importantly it had cost him Kallen, losing her to Brittannia until the Second Battle of the Tokyo Settlement. _Unnecessary losses, sacrifices that needn't have happened! If a king sends his subordinates to die meaninglessly, what right does he have to lead?_

And then there were his reasons for fighting in the first place. From the very start he had the intention of wiping out Brittannia, but not for the Japanese, never had it been for the Japanese. Any true caring for Japan came too late for him to make any difference about it. The Black Knights had been his pawns, Kallen included even if she was his Red Queen. He played her, just as he played the others. Were some of the lies necessary? Of course they were. The Black Knights would never have followed a Brittannian just because he'd helped them once. But the secret of his Geass had long term repercussions that he should have known were coming. Thanks to his keeping the truth of his Geass from them, an eventual coup-d'etat was inevitable, Schneizel using the Black Knights' lack of knowledge to turn them against him completely. _I should have trusted them, just as they trusted me. I never showed my face but they still trusted me. I betrayed them long before Schneizel got his hands on them. A king who has no faith in his knights,__ who abuses their trust and denies them what they deserve,__ is no better than a tyrant._

All these facts and more, Lelouch cursed himself for what seemed an eternity, and yet at same time no time at all. The more he reviewed his life, the more he found it wanting and the greater his regret became. Things he could have done differently, people he could have saved – the list ever growing – all the lies he needn't have told. And as his regrets grew, so did his lamentation for what could have been. In the upcoming months to the Zero Requiem he had looked for another path. But now that his life had ended, he had the freedom to see all the things that he could have done differently, all the pain he could have spared, Nunnally's pain. If he had done anything differently, there would have been no need for the Zero Requiem to ever be played!

_If I could have done something, anything, differently I would. I swear I would! _

_If I could do it again I'd do it right! _

_I'd do it all again. Some losses were necessary, but others should have been avoided, hurts unnecessary, friends used. What comfort does the Zero Requiem give the dead?_

_I swear...I swear to whatever God will listen to a Demon. I swear that if I could do it again, I will fight for a gentler future! Not just for Nunnally, not just for me, but for all of them! I'll fight for the world! _

_I'll...we'll destroy the world together! And together we shall create it anew! _

_I can't die!I mustn't die!_

"He mustn't die!"

_What?!_

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**a.t.b. 2017 Shinjuku Ghetto**

**The Warlock**

And with that, Lelouch's eyes burst open in alarm as a single gunshot rang out, echoing off walls that were too close together for an outside procession. The bright light of the Tokyo settlement was replaced with the dank and dark shadows of the ghettos. Instead of lying slumped against his pillar, Lelouch realised his legs were holding him upright, secure under their own weight. Although what he saw before him threatened to take away that support.

He knew where he was, because it was a day that he had never forgotten. He knew what had happened because it was that shot that signalled the end of his self induced incarceration. He knew who it was who lay there before him because even if he couldn't put a name to the other two, she was someone he could never forget.

"But..." he stammered stumbling forward, eyes never leaving the green-haired immortal woman before him, "but this can't be..."

It was. He was in the Shinjuku Ghetto, dressed in his school uniform that was covered in dust from running through the neglected tunnels. Before him lay his friend and accomplice, his witch, C.C, the Geass symbol glaring red across her forehead where a single small hole pinpointed where the bullet had pierced her skull. Her eyes were still wide open from the shock that couldn't be hidden and she was lying in a pool of her own blood. Ahead of them both stood nine soldiers, two of which stood slightly aside from where they had been holding their valuable prize, where she had been standing not a few seconds ago. The one in the captain's uniform, the one with the sideburns and a scar, smirked at the tremors taking over Lelouch's body, mistaking his reaction for terror. Far from it.

Whatever he said, it was whited out as Lelouch knelt beside his witch. If this was some sort of sick game before throwing him into Hell, he was going to be suitably annoyed. She was here, right within his reach. But..._what if I touch her...and she vanishes?_ A strange thought for him...but then, this was a strange event he was playing witness to.

The choice was suddenly taken out of his hands, as her own leapt forward grabbing hold of him just like she had done before. And as before, time stopped.

* * *

**Inside C.C's Head**

**The Witch and the Warlock**

_'Ah...' _Her voice echoed in his head as he felt the power of ages rush through his head, _'so you decided to play again? That's unlike you.'_

_'Cera?' _

_'Who else?'_

_'What the hell is going on? I was at the procession. Suzaku ran me through. The Zero Requiem was fulfilled!'_

_'And yet here you are.'_

_'Stop talking in circles! How am I here?'_

_'If I knew, would I tell you?' _He couldn't be sure, but Lelouch thought he detected a level of amusement in her tone. It wouldn't surprise him if there had been, C.C wasn't known for being easy to deal with. He ought to know seeing as she practically lived in his room at the start.

_'Funny.' _Never let it be said that he was easy to deal with though.

_'I thought so...shall we get on with it then?' _As she 'spoke' these words, the mindscape Lelouch had found himself in, which had before been a string of un-interpretable images and noises, cleared out into a familiar sight. He'd only been here once before, but then once had been enough.

_'This is...'_

_'My mind? Yes.' _The corridor full of paintings that represented C.C's memories stretched out before him, the C.C dressed in a purple dress, the avatar of her past, visible just ahead of him. But his attention was focussed on the other one present, the C.C dressed in her white prisoner's straight jacket that she had never gotten rid of and had somehow made elegant. More importantly, she had that small sarcastic smirk adorning her lips that at once irritated him to no measurable length yet caused his heart to skip a beat.

_'What's wrong Lelouch? You look like you've seen a ghost.'_

But he couldn't say anything even if he tried. Seeing her just standing there, the bullet wound in her head prominent and clear, only a couple of inches away, Lelouch felt such an odd feeling descend upon him that he almost swore that it wasn't his own mind acting. Still the urge compelled him forward until he engulfed her completely, holding his witch as close as he possibly could.

_'Lelouch?' _She was confused. Of course she was, he'd never let himself give in before, even after he lost her and then got her back he'd never let himself be this...informal. But that was then, when he'd been planning invasion after invasion, and then war with Schneizel and the Black Knights. And after...what comfort could he have given her when they both knew the promise he made was no longer one he could keep? It would have been salt on the wound.

And then he felt the regrets hit him and he collapsed to the ground, his hold on C.C bringing her down as well. _'I'm sorry...' _He whispered, his voice cracking, _'I'm so sorry Cera! I-I couldn't...I couldn't stay...I couldn't...'_

_'Lelouch.' _She whispered against his shoulder and he could feel her lips turn up in a small smile as she pulled him to her in the ways she had done before. Her arms wove their way up to his head and she pulled him even closer to her.

Neither knew just how long they stayed there like that. All Lelouch knew was that she was here, at his side once more, and he was terrified of what was going to happen if he let her go. _Please don't go...I don't want you to go. Please God, I'll take any punishment you want, just please don't take her away from me again! _

_'Lelouch...you know I can hear your thoughts in here.' _Feeling him freeze against her as he realised that, C.C let out a small laugh as she pulled away a bit, her hands abandoning his head so she could lift his chin up to look him in the eye. She had that mocking glint in her golden eyes which only increased as she spotted the tell tale blush that was beginning to make itself known on his pale cheeks. _'So, it would seem the Demon Emperor is human after all.' _

She could mock him all she wanted if it meant she didn't go anywhere. How pathetic, the greatest tactical mind in the world, the Demon Emperor, Lelouch vi Brittannia, Zero, brought to near tears by the presence of one woman. He didn't care, right now he was none of those things and he would be happy to never be them again, so long as C.C was here he didn't care.

_Wait, that's right, _he realised almost immediately, _I'm none of those things. _Finally he loosened his hold on her, his arms lowering to rest on the small of her back. _'Cera, what's happening here?' _

_'I thought that was self-explanatory.' _She replied, her head cocking to one side. _'It would seem that we have both travelled back to the moment that we made our contract.'_

_'We have?' _To be honest, Lelouch wasn't sure of anything at the moment. The most sense he'd made out of it was that he was being made to pay for his transgressions against all those he had wronged. _'But...how though? Geass?'_

She nodded, although she seemed just as confused as him about their predicament. _'That would be my first assumption yes, although I have never heard of one who could send their consciousness back through the stream of time.' _

_'In other words, you're just as in the dark about all this as I am.' _He summed up, his emotions not completely under control again, but enough so that he could at least start thinking again. Sighing he turned his gaze away from those all encompassing eyes and turned to look at the paintings that surrounded them. A recent memory from the look of things, but an unusual setting. _'A church? What were you doing there?'_

_'Praying.' _She replied, turning to look at it as well. _'For you.'_

_What? _He turned back to stare at her. _'But why?' _What right did he have for that?

_'Because I knew no one else would.' _She replied, her gaze remaining on the memory, and he couldn't be sure but Lelouch thought he saw something flicker in her eyes. Pain? Sadness? Whatever it was it was covered up again behind that mask of indifference that she'd had plenty of time to master. But it clearly wasn't as good as it used to be, because when she spoke Lelouch could hear _something _in her voice that didn't seem quite right with her character. _'And because...I...I wanted a miracle.' _

_A miracle? She wanted..._And then it clicked, what this painting meant. Lelouch turned to look at it again with new understanding. While he and Suzaku carried out the final steps of the Requiem, C.C had been here.

She had gone to a place that popularly demonised witches and prayed for his life, she'd walked through those halls which house those that must have once burned her at the stake and knelt before the altar. She'd swallowed her infamous pride and gone on her knees, in the hall that had damned her to eternal life, to beg anyone to spare him...

_Why?_

_'You're crying.' _He only just registered her words. Sure enough as he felt around his eyes there were tears beginning to slip down his cheeks. Breaking away from the church painting, he turned to look at her again...and was stunned at what he saw.

_'So are you.'_ It was only a couple of tears, but that was more than he'd ever seen before, not counting her time without her memories. Unlike him she didn't move to wipe them away. She just nodded slightly before ducking her head down a little bit. _'Cera...'_

His uttering her true name seemed to snap her out of their silent moment though, as she unwrapped herself from him completely and stood back up again. _'Well, regardless, it would seem our contract is now void.'_ She noted, though there was a certain mischievous gleam in her eyes that he knew usually preceded all sorts of trouble. _'I suppose I'll simply have to find another...'_

If she was trying to get a rise out of him, she had to know that that would do it. Still it didn't stop him from shooting up onto his feet, utterly shocked at her blasé tone. _'What do you mean 'find another?!''_ He snapped incredulously, _'We have a contract, and I promised to see it through!' _

_'Oh?' _She asked, folding her arms in front of her, a small smirk playing at her lips. _'So set on keeping me by your side? You could give people ideas with an attitude like that.' _

Oh so she was going to play this game was she? Well then, if this really was the past then Lelouch figured he knew where he wanted to start changing things. And so, Lelouch adopted a relaxed pose that gave off the deceptive appearance of non-interest, _'Maybe I want to give them ideas.' _He returned, a smirk of his own stretching his lips and he couldn't help a short chuckle as he caught a brief look of surprise overtake her features before she locked them down again.

She hadn't been expecting that, he could tell by the way she was now observing him behind that stare. Whenever she was uncertain of something, C.C would drop her head, just a little bit, looking for all things like an inquisitive kitten. Only those who knew her actually realised she was assessing them, like a lioness assesses her prey before lunging. In the early days she'd done it all the time around him.

When she came to a conclusion, arms still folded, C.C stepped forward leisurely, until she was once again mere centimetres away, looking him dead in the eye. _'Do you now?' _She asked, hands resting on his chest, fingers pressing on the black Ashford uniform jacket and the white shirt underneath, sending goosebumps rippling all over his skin. _'What if I'm...opposed to those ideas?'_

_'Oh...' _In an action of daring that he knew he wasn't known for, Lelouch wrapped one arm around her and pulled C.C right up against him, her lips barely touching his own, his violet eyes firmly locked on hers. _'I'm certain I can find some ways to persuade you.' _He revelled at the small squeak his little stunt got out of her, not letting his firm hold on her decrease in any way. _'After all you said it yourself once,' _his voice was now a whisper, both a promise and a challenge _'you've never met anyone quite like me.'_

_'That's not quite what I-!' _However before she could finish her rebut, Lelouch pulled her the last distance and wrapped his lips around hers. With this kiss he channelled all of his passion, his determination, his will, anger, sorrow, and every other emotion under the sun, and begged her to accept it. This wouldn't be a one-way contract this time. She wasn't going to be just his accomplice. If they were going to do this again, they would be doing it as partners, he wouldn't settle for less. He knew the moment after she had that the deal was struck, as C.C wrapped her arms around him again and returned the kiss with equal passion. She was going to stay with him, all the way to the end, whatever that may be.

As they pulled away, though neither technically needed to breathe, Lelouch noted to his pride that there was a slight pink tinge to C.C's cheeks. _'I take it that you accept?' _He asked, not at all smugly, positively not smirking at her flushed expression.

Quick as ever though she shook off her daze, trying unsuccessfully to regain control. _'I-I'm the one who asks that!' _She snapped, pouting a little bit before realising what she was doing and straightening up...or as much as she could seeing as Lelouch hadn't exactly let her go. _'An-anyway, are we going back or what?'_

_'I suppose we should,' _he replied offhandedly, _'those Brittannians aren't going to kill themselves...'_

_'...well technically...'_

_'I know, I know. Realised it the moment I said it.'_

* * *

**a.t.b 2017, Shinjuku Ghetto**

**The Warlock and the Victims**

And so Lelouch came back to himself, back to the dirty confines of the dilapidated warehouse that he and C.C had been cornered in. The girl in question still lay on the ground, her blood still leaking out of the back of her head, however there was now a nearly unnoticeable smile where once there had been but a blank expression. For his part, Lelouch's stunned appearance suddenly relaxed, before it became practically devilish, grin and all, as he slowly stood back up, his hand covering his left eye as he had done the first time.

Unsurprisingly, no time had passed at all, the leader of Brittannian kill squad still blathering out his phony story about how C.C had been killed by 'Eleven' Terrorists or some such nonsense. _Pinning the blame on the innocent, _behind the brutes Lelouch made out a group of Japanese citizens, maybe a family, left in a heap, their chests, arms and heads riddled with holes. There was even the vague memory of a child crying out just before this group found them. _These dogs don't deserve any mercy._

He didn't regret it the first time, though his command had been more out of desperation than any sort of revenge. This time though, he knew exactly what he was doing and exactly what doing this entailed. There would be no grandiose speech of a Brittannian who hated Brittannia this time. All there would be, was justice.

"What do you think, schoolboy?" The Brittannian asked mockingly.

And all Lelouch could do was smirk as he dropped his hand away, the crane symbol of Geass illuminating his left eye. "What do I think?" He asked icily. "I think...no I command that you should all _die!" _he finished with a wave of his hand, as if he were a king dismissing a group of unworthy mongrels...which was exactly what they were.

The crane took flight, entering the eyes of each and every soldier before him. The tell-tale red ring of a Geass'd human appeared around their irises. There was a slight pause, that 0.6 of a second where the effect and command of the Geass of Absolute Obedience took hold of the targets, and then the lead Brittannian soldier gave him a sickly smile. "Happily, your majesty!" He cried out fanatically before turning the pistol that had stayed trained on Lelouch the whole time and shoving the barrel directly into his neck, the other eight around him doing the same. "FIRE!"

And just like before, where once there had been a squad of murderous dogs, there was now a new bunch of corpses laid out before Lelouch, the blood of the nearest one smearing itself on his face. They fell as easily as dominoes.

Any sickness or horror at his actions that his younger self might have felt was long since quashed, two years of death had conditioned him that way. _And unless I miss my guess, _he thought to himself as he knelt down to scoop up C.C, _there is a lot more to come. _

"Well then" Lelouch simply mused as he carried C.C away from the scene, "we had best get to work, hadn't we my Witch?"

Gold eyes blinked right back up at him, "We should indeed, my Warlock."

* * *

**The Witch, the Warlock, and the Knight**

Villetta didn't take long to arrive, in fact she couldn't have shown up sooner. C.C was beginning to wriggle, insisting that she could stand on her own two feet thank you very much. As much as he adored her free will and her pride, Lelouch was just about ready to drop her. It seemed some things truly never changed.

As soon as the wall to the warehouse was smashed down however, she went back to being as weak as a kitten again, feigning unconsciousness. As the dust kicked up from the blast cleared, Lelouch turned to face the Sutherland Knightmare frame, noting the dark red shoulder armour typically affiliated with the Purist Faction, lead and founded by Jeremiah Gottwald, or Orange as Lelouch preferred. If he remembered correctly at this point and time, Villetta was a mere knight trying to move up the social ladder into nobility.

_Foolish woman. _Lelouch thought to himself with a mix of pity and contempt, staring up at the Sutherland as its Factsphere shot out. _Even if she does by some miracle make it into those ranks this time, the Brittannian nobles will still see her as a social climber. She'd never really be one of them._

The sphere retracted again and then the Knightmare's external comm switched on, identified by a short buzzing. A moment later, and Villetta's stern tone soon carried over the airwaves. "What happened here boy?" She demanded, referring to the rather bloody scene that he and C.C had just departed from, "And furthermore, why is a Brittannian student in a place like this?" And there was that emotion that Lelouch would eventually come to identify her with: Suspicion.

All throughout her tenure at Ashford, Lelouch remembered that she'd kept a very close eye on him and any time that they'd spoken, whether it be mere pleasantries or something regarding the school curriculum, there had always been that undertone of hidden emotion. Back then he lacked the memories to put a name to the feeling she gave off. Once C.C had restored him however, it all fell into place.

"Are you deaf?!" The future baroness' voice snapped him out of his daydreams of a past-future, returning him to the present. "Answer me, or I'll shoot!"

Like before, he just regarded the Sutherland with mere disdain. _To think those relics were once the front-line units of the Black Knights and the Empire. _It was going to take him a while to get used to piloting such inferior models, at least until he re-obtained the Gawain. Until then he'd have to make do with his Burai once Kyoto started taking an interest in his work, but that was still some time away.

His musing was once again brought to a halt by the Sutherland he was silently badmouthing, the assault rifle squirting of a few rounds that blasted giant holes in the wall behind him. The move was one commonly used to scare common civilians or difficult grunt soldiers into talking. Lelouch barely flinched.

"Answer me!" Villetta ordered, though Lelouch thought he detected a bit of nervousness in her tone upon seeing his unyielding stance.

"In case you haven't noticed," he replied firmly, "we have a medical emergency here!" He indicated C.C in his arms, her limp posture working perfectly with what he had planned. To further the appearance, he clutched her a little bit tighter, adding that little bit of extra worry into his expression. "Now get out of your Knightmare and help us!"

If he'd played his cards right, the answer he just gave her would piss her off just as his failed Geass attempt had the first time around. A child ordering a soldier around, especially a knight, was bound to raise the recipient's ire. And if he knew Villetta, which he did, then her response would be obvious.

"Insolent brat!" She scoffed, anger lacing her words "What authority could a child like you have to order me around?"

_Well I am the former Emperor of the entire world, how's that for you? _Somehow though, he suspected that wasn't going to work. _Well it worked the first time, why try to fix what isn't broken. _"My name is Alan Spacer," he told her, keeping his tone firm and commanding not unlike that of Zero, "my father's a Duke." He made sure to emphasise that last bit, knowing that it would set off all the right alarm bells in this particular woman's mind. Now for his partner's role in this charade, "This girl is my fiancée, Cera. She was injured in the commotion." Oh the girl in question was going to give him hell for that once they were alone, even if this was all a rouse to get some transportation.

"A bit of an unusual place for a couple to be taking a stroll." Villetta responded, suspicion clear yet he could already tell, he had her. Whether or not he was a noble, the woman before him wanted prestige and recognition. If he really was a Duke's son then Lelouch would be the fast ticket into the ranks of nobility for her too.

_Oh Miss Villetta Nu, that glory-seeking attitude of yours will get you in trouble one day. Just ask Orange Boy. _ Nevertheless that was a different story for a different time. What he needed right now was that Sutherland, and so Lelouch made his final move. "My identification is in my breast pocket," he informed her, "obviously I cannot retrieve it myself. Once you've confirmed our identity, I'll request your protection."

Even before the cockpit slid open, Lelouch knew that he'd gotten her. Never mind that he'd done it before, that was no excuse for him to think that the same trick would work twice. All the same though, he'd gotten what they needed to escape. The Sutherland powered down and the hatch opened up, and a moment later Villetta descended on the wire. She seemed different, this younger version of the soldier who had kept a strict eye on him during his return to being merely Lelouch Lamperouge. Unlike that one who had watched him like a hawk, this Villetta's gaze was more like that of a Hyena. Opportunistic, snatching at what she'd managed to steal. Well, she was about to learn a harsh lesson in trying to rise up the ranks of society in Brittannia. _Who does she think she's kidding? With traits like these, even if Jeremiah backed her, she would've never made it into the elite circles. _For one thing her skin was too dark. Brittannians generally looked down on the people with darker skin tones, the peoples of the African nations in particular receiving decidedly awful treatment by the occupational forces of the Empire. In the eyes of the Empire, White was Might. Another factor working against her was her hair; it was silver. There were many hair colours in the Brittannian court but silver was definitely not one of them. Rather than be dazzled by the new addition in court, Lelouch new enough about the Brittannian elite that they despised difference in any form, and that included hair colour. For a nation that celebrated individuality, there were a lot of contradictions, all of which he had exploited to the maximum in his brief reign as the Demon Emperor.

But all this was ultimately immaterial. It didn't matter to Lelouch one way or the other. If Villetta somehow reached the inner circle this time around, then he'd deal with her. If she didn't...he'd still deal with her.

Villetta approached him and C.C, her pistol aimed at him in case he tried anything. "Put the girl on the ground and put your hands behind your head." She instructed him in a perfect 'no nonsense' tone. "I'll take out your ID."

"Of course, madam." He replied mockingly, kneeling down and resting C.C on the floor. _We'll be out of here soon, my Witch, and then you can enjoy a nice long shower. _Though he had put her down however, he had yet to remove his arms from around her. Vaguely, he heard Villetta command him to stand up straight again, but all he did was look her dead in the eye. "Now then," he began, the crane's wing's flapping in his left eye, "hand your Knightmare over to me."

It was almost pitiful just how quickly she succumbed to his will, the handgun suddenly flipping around in her hand so the grip was facing him. Villetta herself just stared at him vacantly, her eyes glowing red. "Understood," she answered monotonously, holding out the Sutherland's activation key in her other hand which she then tossed to him "the code number is X-G-2-1-G-2-D-4."

Lelouch caught the key easily in his hand and then slipped it into his breast pocket. "Thank you." He replied curtly.

"So," a rather annoyed voice beneath him muttered, "can I please stand on my own now? Or do you wish to sweep me away like a proper Prince?"

Glancing down at her, Lelouch noted that C.C was now beginning to sit up, her arms folded as she looked at him with an eyebrow raised. While he undoubtedly intended to do some 'sweeping' later, Lelouch had other priorities at the moment. As such he stepped away from her, but was at least courteous enough to lend her his hand. "I'd like to think I'm not as self-absorbed in my own flattery as some of my other brothers are." He replied evenly, though he couldn't help a smirk. "However, what say you to a ride in that Sutherland?"

"A ride in a cramped cockpit whilst under fire from Brittannians and terrorists alike?" She retorted instantly, fanning herself with a hand, "Oh how _could _I resist such an invitation?"

"Just get in the Knightmare, Witch." He tried to keep the affection out of his tone, he really did. But it pretty much failed him once he snaked an arm around her waist and rested his brow against hers.

The Sutherland's cockpit was cramped, however there was still enough room for C.C to lie against him, her head tucked into his chest, whilst Lelouch was free to pilot the Sutherland. However, piloting such high-spec 'Mares in the form of the Gawain and Shinkiro had left him with a higher expectation of the Sutherland's capabilities. As such, Lelouch found himself disappointed at just how...simple this Knightmare was in comparison to his two personal machines.

"What's wrong?" Apparently C.C had picked up on his wistfulness as well, seeing as he had yet to get going.

"I...well, it's silly really." He admitted, chastising himself for acting so childishly about something that could be so easily rectified. However, her gaze wasn't going anywhere and two years of experience told him it wouldn't go anywhere until he at least gave her a partial answer. "Well, not that it matters but..." He ducked his head down, feeling a wave of embarrassment take him "I miss the Gawain." There he said it.

For her part, C.C was silent for a moment as she digested that. After the moment past, she couldn't help but let out a short giggle at his discomfort. "You're right," she agreed, "that is silly." Before he could take offence to that she quickly silenced him with a peck on the lips before continuing. "I suppose, even if you are the Demon Emperor, in some ways you are still just a boy."

"Not for much longer," he assured her, knowing exactly which one of those 'some ways' she was referring to, "and that's 'Former Demon Emperor' to you."

"Oh of course, your majesty," she smirked up at him, shit-eating smirk in place, "please forgive me for the misunderstanding."

"Shut it Witch." He muttered affectionately as he pulled out the terrorist communicator that had been lying in his jacket all this time. To be perfectly honest, he'd forgotten how he'd even gotten his hands on it, but then that didn't matter. He had it, so he would use it.

It was time to go find his Red Queen.

* * *

**A/N: So yeah, we are a go. Not sure if I went out of character with the two or not. Also what do you think of my interpretation of the early Villetta? I was rewatching and you could tell Lelouch had her the moment he said his dad was a duke. Any smart person would've taken him into custody and then validated his ID. Also, the little bit of racism I slipped into the Brittannian Empire felt right as well. Watch the series again, I promise you that you won't find a noble Brittannian who isn't Caucasian apart from Villetta. If I'm wrong...meh, its my fic. I can say what I want.**


	3. Turn 2 Shinjuku Revisited

**Alright, here we go. The first team up of Lelouch and the Black Knights-to-be in this new world. Bit of a long one here, expect that if we have ourselves a battle sequence that has more than a few POV's that span across the battlefield. I also got a bit carried away as you'll see once you get towards the end of the chapter. Hopefully it doesn't take away from the story but tell me if it does.  
Also, as of this chapter, this story is officially a T-Rated fic. You'll know why when you read the right part.****  
****Disclaimer's on the prologue. R.I.P. Admin.  
Anyway, enough about that. Let's get on with the story, we left Lelouch and C.C as they got the Sutherland under way and went in search of Kallen. Guess who we're gonna start with!**

* * *

**Chapter 2  
****Shinjuku Revisited**

**a.t.b 2017 Area 11  
****Shinjuku Ghetto**

**The Red Queen**

If Kallen Kozuki could sum up her day in a couple of words, she would describe it as 'fucked up.' Why such a harsh use of language you ask? Well to start off with she had the ever present fact of her heritage, being half-Britannian to a father who wasn't present and half-Japanese to a mother who seemed to hold no value in her own existence. Second of all, the little mission she and her friend Takeshi Nagata had been so close to completing had gone completely screwy. Now Nagata was dead, and there was a canister full of potentially poison gas buried in the ghetto that could go off in any minute if one idiot got too close to it. Thirdly, her goddamn Glasgow had been completely dominated by these damn Britannian Sutherlands. There were only two that were on her, which would've been a cinch any other day. These Sutherlands however were being piloted by members of the Purist faction of the military, fanatic soldiers who made sure that any Japanese attempt to even try to live on an equal playing field was crushed underneath their boots. _Not that we'd want to live like you damn Britannians anyway! _She thought at them scornfully as she dodged another hail of rifle fire. Any other time it wouldn't matter if they were Purists or not, she'd stomp them all the same. It mattered this time though because right now her Glasgow was missing its damn left arm and the assault rifle it had been carrying, meaning the only weapon she had available to her were the slash harkens.

_If it was just one of them! _She growled in frustration as she skirted around another corner of what had once been a city block. _But like this I can't even take on two! Can this day get any worse?! _A beeping on her 'Mare's console soon confirmed that, yes indeed it could get worse as the power meter entered the red zone, which made up only three bars.

"Only thirty minutes left?!" How the hell did that happen? Had they forgotten to charge the Glasgow up properly before they left? She couldn't have really been fighting these guys for that long could she? For a moment Kallen even considered that the meter was broken before throwing the idea out, it had never been wrong before. _Heh, _she almost laughed bitterly, _I guess I really am just that good. _Well if she was going out, she'd go out with a bang. At the very least it would give Ohgi and the others the chance they needed to get away from here. _Hey Naoto. Guess I'll be seeing you sooner rather than later after all, huh?_

She was all set to charge out of her hiding place when the radio she'd patched and taped onto the comm. scrambled into life. _What the hell? Did Tamaki fall over his own feet again? _

Apparently not as the voice that spoke was definitely not Tamaki, for one thing he wasn't screaming every word. "The west entrance," the speaker told her calmly, "use the tracks to move to the west entrance."

_What in the...? _Who was this clown? And more importantly what was he doing on her frequency? "Who is this?!" She barked into the comm., she knew every one of Naoto's old group, and none of them sounded like the person who was calling her now. "How did you get your hands on a radio?!"

To Kallen's surprise the person on the other end merely chuckled, though she completely failed to see the joke at the moment, seeing as she was, y'know about to die and all. "That's a temper." The mystery man responded, laughter still evident in his voice, "Nevertheless, if you want to win this fight, you're just going to have to trust me."

"To win?" What the hell was this guy on? She'd been focussed on merely trying to _survive, _and now this mystery caller was telling her that her beat up, piece-of-junk Glasgow was going to win this fight? _Whatever he's taking, I bet there're a few more guys here who'd like some. _On the other hand though, it wasn't like she had that many options, in fact the plans she had for getting out of this scrape she could count on one hand and without having to lift any fingers.

Glancing over at the tracks though, she noted that it was a good clear area, no enemy units to speak of, and it lead in the opposite direction that Ohgi and the others were going in, so in the very likely outcome that she got shot down following this idiot's instructions, she would at least still be keeping the others safe.

_I just know I'm going to regret this! _Hitting the accelerator, Kallen directed the Glasgow towards the train tracks and jumped it onto the rails. The Knightmare's feet locked in perfectly with the rails and its landspinners soon had Kallen travelling due west.

She wasn't alone for long though, as a glance back the way she came revealed two Sutherlands, both Purists, hurtling after her and closing the gap between them a lot faster than she'd like. "You'd better know what you're doing!" She shouted into the comm. which only served to make the mystery caller laugh, which in turn just pissed her off further. "Hey! What's so funny?! Is this just a game to you?!"

"Hardly." There was no laughter this time when the caller spoke, his words deadly serious. "A leader who plays with his subordinates' lives has no right to lead at all..." His icy, hateful tone shocked her momentarily. Who the hell was this guy? However she had little time to think about that as the voice suddenly spoke up again, firm and commanding again, "There's a train headed directly for you, as soon as you're close enough, jump onto it. Leave Orange boy and his pal to me."

_Orange boy? Ah forget it! _Sure enough though, a freight train was right in her path speeding right towards her. Had the caller set this all up? If so, Kallen didn't know if she should be glad for the indirect backup or concerned regarding just how much of the battlefield her mysterious ally was aware of. _Well...when in Rome..._deciding to go with it, Kallen revved up the landspinners one more time and then, as the train closed the distance to a few metres, sprang her beat up Glasgow forward, jumping over the diesel engine and landing on the roof of the carriage behind. There was a disturbing crunch that sounded suspiciously like metal buckling, as such she didn't stick around and jumped again, the Knightmare this time landing on more firm ground.

Now that she had some distance between herself and the Sutherlands, Kallen turned the Glasgow around to face her two Britannian pursuers, just in time to see the one further back that was jumping off the tracks get smacked in the face by a slash harken. It's head was ripped off and it went sailing off the tracks into the ghetto.

_Where did that come from?_ Following the harkens as they retracted back, Kallen was in for the surprise of her life. It was another Sutherland, Purist colours too. _A defector? But why would a Purist, of all Britannians, turn traitor? _It appeared that she wasn't going to get any answers though as the rogue Sutherland simply opened fire on the equally stunned Britannian Knightmare that was staring up at this unexpected addition. The Purist tried to retreat out of the line of fire, however it seemed the pilot knew what he was doing as one of the Purist Sutherland's landspinners suddenly exploded bringing it to its knees. However it would seem the Purist pilot was no quitter, as the Sutherland turned its own assault rifle on the rogue unit.

Never let it be said though that Kallen Kozuki never repays a favour. _It's just one now! Purist or not, even if this thing's falling apart on me, I can take him! _That conviction in mind, Kallen started up the Glasgow's landspinners and charged head-on towards her former hunter. _This one's for Nagata! _

However she never got to land a blow, the commanding unit seeing her coming at him. Just as the Glasgow came within striking distance, the Sutherland's cockpit ejection system activated and blasted out of the Knightmare's back, leaving a giant metal husk behind. _Oh well, at least its not shooting at me anymore. _Accepting what she had, Kallen let out a sigh of relief. _I'm alive...I actually survived that crazy stunt!_

"Hey." She spoke into the comm. "Thanks for the save, but how did you get your hands on a Sutherland?" She turned to the opening in the building where she'd seen the Knightmare covering her, however when she zoomed in, the area was empty. Whoever the pilot was, he was long gone now. _And all without making a sound? _"...You're good."

"Why thank you." A decidedly new voice spoke over the comm., female this time, with a touch of fake modesty. "I do try my best."

_What the? _"Hey, who're you? What happened to the guy before?"

"Oh he's still here." The new speaker replied, "He's just a bit tied up at the momen-"

"Give me that!" The first speaker's voice sounded...flustered?

_What in the...? _The comm. went silent for a moment, broken every now and again by the odd muffled grunt or half spoken word, though by the sound of it, it was the male speaker who was having the most trouble.

"I swear to god, C.C when we get home, I'm tying you to the bed!"

"Promises, promises."

"Cursed Witch!"

"Weak boy."

_Okay...this is getting really awkward. _"Er...do you two need a minute?" Kallen was pretty sure if this was an animé she'd have a huge sweatdrop running down her cheek.

"No..." the male caller grunted, "we're just...fine! Hah!" Whatever was going on, it would seem he had wrested control of the radio back from his accomplice. "Sorry about that, she likes to do her own thing."

"Uhuh," Somehow she didn't doubt that, "so who was that? Your girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend, partner, eternal bane of my life, (hey!) take your pick." He sounded annoyed, but at the same time, Kallen couldn't help but suspect that this was just par the course for these two, whoever they were. Eventually, the male speaker got himself back under control and spoke calmly again. "In a few moments, your companions will be joining you. We'll call you back in a little while."

Before she could ask him about anything further, the radio went silent and Kallen was suddenly back on her own, her mind abuzz. What the heck had just happened? Who was at the controls of that Sutherland? The man who'd been directing her, or the woman who'd actually answered her thanks and caused the first one to lose his composure?

_One thing's for sure though. _Kallen conceded as she spotted Ohgi headed her way with Tamaki and the others close behind. _This is turning into one very weird day._

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto  
****Lelouch's 'Acquired' Sutherland**

**The Witch and The Warlock**

"The bane of your existence, huh?"

Lelouch pointed refrained from answering. There were more important things to focus on right now than the seductive little devil woman currently curled up in his lap. He should've known it would be a bad idea to let C.C have the controls whilst they covered Kallen, she was bound to unleash her unique brand of mischief on the battlefield once things were in the clear. He was lucky that her little stunt hadn't resulted in his cover getting blown. If possible he wanted to not use his Geass on Kallen this time around.

And now to make things worse, he was only thinking with half his brain because the little troublemaker in question was directing the rest of his brainpower southwards. Stupid teenage hormones. He needed to think of something else, something that wasn't warmblooded, immortal and beautiful, and wasn't writhing about a giving him all sorts of ideas.

Thankfully, it was the exact cause of his discomfort that granted him a distraction, her revenge for his 'bane' comment seemingly complete. "No love lost for Jeremiah then?" C.C asked him, "He was one of your most loyal soldiers you know."

"Indeed he was." He agreed, admittedly feeling a bit of regret for causing his Orange Knight discomfort, "But here and now he is Lord Jeremiah Gottwald, Commander of the Purist Faction. He has no reason to believe that Lady Marianne vi Britannia's children are alive."

"So am I to assume that you intend to bring up that Orange incident again?" Even if he was doing his best not to look at her right now, Lelouch could practically hear the devious little smile playing around her lips and dancing in her eyes. "You really are such a naughty boy, what am I ever going to do with you?"

_I can think of a few things. _A treacherous part of his mind that sounded alarmingly like Milly Ashford spoke up. Quickly Lelouch cut those thoughts off before they became any more distracting and returned his attention to the battlefield, noting that Ohgi and the others had arrived. _Good, then its time to get under way. I'll have to be careful though, Suzaku's scheduled to show up soon. _Memories of how the Lancelot had interfered in all his operations flooded Lelouch's mind, causing him to clench his teeth just a little bit, before a rueful smile curled his lips upwards.

_Well, maybe I'll let him have a bit of fun, _he conceded, _regardless what Rakshata has to say about Lloyd, the Lancelot proves just how competent an engineer he is. _

His mind made up, and the plan drawn up, Lelouch turned on the radio again, tuning into Ohgi's frequency. _You may have betrayed me in the past Ohgi, but it's still good to see you alive._ For now though he'd have to play the stranger until a later date, and so he asked "Am I speaking to the leader of this group?"

"Ugh..." the leader's nervous tone that had never truly left him replied hesitantly, "er, yeah I suppose."

"Then I present to you the cargo of the train before you," he waited a moment for them to identify the train that he knew housed more than enough Sutherlands to supply the small terrorist group, "they're tools for your victory." Another pause as the group gasped in surprise at his use of the word 'victory' in, what had to seem to them, a hopeless cause. Give them a little time and a miracle or two, and they'd get used to it though. "If you wish to beat back the Britannian dogs, then follow my orders to the letter." His offer complete, he snapped off the radio again and sat back, watching as Kallen's Glasgow opened the first freight carriage, revealing the first batch of Sutherlands. He could just imagine the grateful and awed remarks they were making as Knightmare after Knightmare was revealed to the exhausted terrorist cell. _Wait until you get your hands on the Akatsukis. _He couldn't help thinking. _You'll wander what I was thinking putting you in these junk heaps. _

Still, seeing the relieved looks on the faces of the Black Knights to be, he couldn't help but smile, something C.C noticed as she rested against his chest. "So, how does it feel to have them on your side again?" She asked, smiling up at him knowingly.

"Better than I ever imagined." He admitted. "Especially Kallen." Of all the people he had lost that day when Schneizel turned the Black Knights against him, Kallen's had been the most painful. Not just because she was his most valued Knightmare pilot, but along the way Lelouch had found himself depending on her more and more. In fact, of all of the Knights, the only other person he held as close as he did Kallen was the woman currently sat in his lap.

"You miss her." She stated knowingly, looking at the monitor that had stayed solely focussed on the Glasgow as it opened up carriage after carriage. C.C shrugged, "I don't blame you. She truly is a remarkable woman."

"That she is Cera." He agreed wistfully, "That she is." But then he wiped the emotion away, there was still a battle to win here and he'd wasted enough time as it was. Suzaku would be coming soon, and in the Lancelot, he'd tear them apart. They needed to get to the command centre if they were going to win this. _Right then._

He hit the comm. and tuned into Kallen's frequency. "Glasgow pilot, am I correct in assuming that your Knightmare is low on power?"

"Y-yes!" Kallen replied immediately, "About fifteen minutes worth."

"That's not going to last you for what I have in mind. Recharge it. You'll be running decoy so I need you at your best." If he could see her right now, Lelouch would have seen a modest blush sprout over his favourite red-head's face. "Be ready Q-1, I'll call you back in ten minutes with my next instructions."

"Q-1 again huh?" C.C smiled at him knowingly.

"Of course." He replied evenly, "The Queen is the most powerful piece on the board, and Kallen is the best Knightmare pilot I've ever known. Once she's reunited with the Guren, she'll be unstoppable."

"What about the Lancelot?"

He shrugged, "There's little I can do about Suzaku becoming its pilot, that's one decision I have absolutely no control over." Then again, if Suzaku wasn't in the Lancelot, Jeremiah would have little to go on to frame him for the upcoming death of Clovis. _But then, he had nothing to go on last time and Suzaku was still accused. __Either way, I need him for Zero's début._

Shrugging at the little difference it would make, he turned on the radio again, "Attention all units, the next phase of the battle is going to require systematic coordination. As such I have broken you up into a series of groups. Your codenames for the battle to come are as follows..."

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto  
****Britannian Forward Command Centre**

**The Painter**

Prince Clovis la Britannia, third prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, and Viceroy of Area Eleven was annoyed. How hard was it to find one escaped prisoner? She was wearing a white straight jacket for goodness sake! It wasn't as if the Elevens could hide her in their little caves, she'd stick out like a sore thumb. So why in God's name was it taking so much effort to find her?

And right in the middle of his speech as well, did no one have any consideration for his needs? Bad enough that he was here searching through the dirt for two bodies already but now the Elevens just had to have one of their temper tantrums when the cargo that could have found them was lost. No consideration, no consideration at all.

"My Lord!" One of the many soldiers flocking around the tactical layout reported, "Enemy spotted at point F-31!"

Glancing up, Clovis felt his annoyance growing. It was that dratted Glasgow that refused to just roll over and die. And now it was sticking itself out in the open like a tasty little morsel ready to be devoured. "A feint, eh?" He muttered, scoffing at the pathetic attempt to be clever, "How utterly pedestrian of them." Did they honestly believe this worth his time? He had other things he could be doing right now! Not even bothering to give any orders, he just waved his hand at General Bartley, the man whose mess he had been brought in to clean up, and went back to lazing in his throne.

Bartley took his cue as was expected of him, and brought the tactical image up on the main monitor. The single red dot was minimal considering the sea of black and the numerous blue triangles that marked out the imperial Sutherlands. "Tell Laszlo Squadron to go right in!" He ordered the other commanders around him, "Instruct Sir Eugene and Sir Valerie to circle around and attack from the rear."

_Honestly, why do these Elevens bother? _Clovis muttered, closing his eyes and imagining all the things he could be doing right now, the parties he could be attending, the ladies he could be admiring. Why were the Elevens so stuck in the past that they couldn't accept that it was over? Britannia had won, they had lost. It was as simple as that, so it was high time that they accepted it. As for that Glasgow, it would be gone in three...two...one...

"S-sir Eugene and Sir Valerie both lost!"

"Hmm?" Had he heard that right? Looking up at the screen it showed what had been reported, two blue marks now replaced with [LOST] icons. But the Glasgow hadn't moved at all. Did it have back up? "Were we lead into an ambush?"

The plump Bartley scrambled around the tactical display, looking at the same image that was on the front screen. "Where are they? Do the Elevens have anti-armour weaponry?"

"Unknown sir!" Another soldier replied.

"Well then find out dammit!"

"Y-yes sir! Laszlo Squad, flush out the enemy support units, then take out the Glasgow!" There was no response however. "Laszlo Squad come in!"

At last a connection with a pilot's comm. was established, though the news was grave indeed. "Laszlo Squad, what's going on?" Bartley demanded.

"Gah!" Was the first intelligible response, followed by a series of static. Once they managed to reestablish communications, the pilot added. "The enemy's using the same –!" And then the connection was permanently lost as the rest of Laszlo Squad collapsed, their blue icons being replaced with five red [LOST] icons.

_What in the world is going on out there?! _Clovis found himself sitting on the edge of his seat as he watched the blue turn to red. And in all that time the Glasgow hadn't moved. _It's certainly not responsible for this, no single Knightmare Frame could take out a whole squad, let alone a damaged Glasgow piloted by an Eleven!_ But then another horrid thought arose, something he truly didn't want to contemplate. _They couldn't have..._

However his thought couldn't be confirmed as the flurry of action around him brought him back to the present. "Sir! The enemy Glasgow is moving to point G-28!"

"Send Laszlo Squad -!" Bartley caught himself as he realised that there _wasn't _a Laszlo Squad to send, "I mean Garbey Squad to intercept!"

"Sir! Rushford Squad is under attack at point E-12!"

"Lexton Squad under fire at D-10!"

_This can't be the work of mere anti-armour weaponry. _Clovis thought to himself. _They're moving to fast, and our knights are smarter than to move in a permanently straight line! They're disciplined for goodness sake, unlike those terrorists...unless..._ "Where is that Glasgow?!" He demanded, now deadly certain that what he suspected was true.

"M-my Lord! The Glasgow has been intercepted by Garbey at G-30."

"Then...I was right!" And it chilled him to realise that, "Change the transmission codes, quickly! The terrorists are using our Knightmares!" If anything, he just voiced what the others in the G-1 had already suspected, as the communications officers frantically got to it. _They've been listening in on our every move and set up ambushes to meet us._ Clovis thought to himself furiously, _But when did they get their hands on our Sutherlands?! Is that Glasgow behind this? Argh! Why now?! We were almost finished cleansing this disgusting remnant of the past!_ _Could this get any worse?!_

"Sir Garbey has ejected!" Apparently it could.

If Bartley had hair, he would be tearing it out as he tried to figure out how to turn this mess around, "Change the transmissions! They're still intercepting!"

"We already have sir!" A comm. officer reported "Four times!"

"Well then do it again!" He barked out, "I don't care how you do it! Go out there and bash their antennae if you have to, just get our communications secure, for God's sake!"

_I'm a sham! _Clovis thought to himself furiously, _If word gets out that I let a bunch of Eleven terrorists hijack our Knightmares, I'll be the laughing stock of the family! All my fine evenings ruined, Clovis the Man Who Lost to Elevens! I'll be nothing! _His anger made him bold though and he lunged up, his elegant purple clothing streaming with him as he rose to his feet. "This failure is unacceptable!" He squawked.

Bartley was all ready to stutter apologies to his lord when the display of the battle on the main screen was covered up by a new window. In it was possibly the last person Clovis or anyone else on the command bridge wanted to see right now. After all, the bespectacled, overly-enthusiastic figure of one Lloyd Earl of Asplund, an engineer who loved his Knightmare Frames a little too much, was not the sort of distraction anyone needed right now!

Not that he seemed to mind of course, judging by that large grin of his. "Good afternoon!" He greeted them cheerfully, as if there wasn't a battle raging that he was potentially losing for them with his interruption.

"What is it!?" Bartley snapped, voicing the irritation of everyone present. "We're in the middle of an operation!"

Lloyd just chuckled, "Hmm yes, I was watching. I have to say, you're making quite the delightful mess out there." If he was aware of just how frustratingly insulting he was being, he made a good show of not caring and he steamed right on, "I'd say it's time to deploy the A.S.E.E.C's special weapon. What say you, _your highness?"_

_Grr, this man and his senseless ambitions! _The third prince of Britannia snarled in annoyance as he strode towards the tactical monitor. "We have no time for this now! Comm. get rid of him!" He had no time to play the whims of Schneizel's pet toy-maker right now. The scene was a mess, unit after unit being wiped out, the positioning of the few squads they had left telling him that the enemy had completely encircled the remaining Britannian forces. _How many are we facing here? Ten, twenty? And who in the world is directing them? No mere Eleven could have read my moves that well...is it Tohdoh? Is the Miracle Worker here?_ That would account for the tactics, Tohdoh had been dangerous during the occupation, and that was before he had a Knightmare Frame.

Well whoever it was, the terrorists were ripping them apart. Unless he sent backup they were going to lose this fight. "Bring up Quincy Squad!" He ordered.

"But, my Lord!" Bartley protested, "That will break the encirclement around the command base!"

However Clovis merely waved him off. "Reinforce the breach in the encirclement with some of the forces guarding me." He instructed, "All we know is that enemy forces are here." There was no need to bring the Earl of Pudding into this. Clovis la Britannia would win this fight on his own!

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto  
****Lelouch's 'Acquired' Sutherland**

**The Warlock and the Witch**

Over the last two years, Lelouch had commanded armies in rebellion and conquest. He led the Black Knights against Cornelia's genius through the streets of Japan, nearly toppling the Britannian forces and freeing the nation had it not been for V.V's intervention. He had fought his way through China, gaining allies where there had once been enemies in the form of Xingke Li. He had taken over the entire world, defeating his brother Schneizel in the ultimate Chess game.

So, as you can imagine, he found himself moderately surprised at just how easily Clovis's men fell. He'd gotten used to having a back up plan on top of a back up plan, he'd forgotten that there had been a time when original plan actually followed through. It was just further proof of just how pathetic his half-brother was at strategy.

"He really is quite terrible at this, isn't he?" C.C commented, sharing his sentiment as she watched the battlefield change, the Britannian units from the enemy command centre entering the battle as ordered. "He's left a hole in his home defence. Did he do this last time?"

"Exactly the same move."

"Any sane person knows that's foolish, he should have just retreated."

"We should be thankful that he is as foolish as he is pretty, Cera." He commented, "It gives us just the opening we want to get in nice and close. But first..." Lelouch picked up the terrorists' radio, "how about we give the Lord of Pudding a little further encouragement?"

"You're really set on getting the Lancelot out here, aren't you?" She regarded him for a moment with teasing eyes, "One would think you still held a grudge against the Black Knights."

"Cera, please." Lelouch smiled deceptively, starting up the Sutherland's landspinners "Have you ever known me to be so petty?" Before he could give her a chance to respond, he turned on the radio, and stormed away. "Q-1, I expect you have a map of the area?"

A moment later Kallen replied, "Yes, it's an old map of the local area, but there aren't any current landmarks."

"That'll do." He assured her, "Send it to me and await further instructions."

"Understood."

A moment passed and then the desired file opened up in front of him. After he'd taken a moment to re-familiarise himself with the layout of the ghetto, Lelouch came to a halt. Whilst he'd been weaving in and out of buildings, he'd moved his Sutherland to fall in behind the newly arriving troops. Once he was in position, he activated the Sutherland's IFF. If this went right, he could play his Knightmare of as one of the surviving units from the mission's final phase.

With all the pieces entering the right square of the board, Lelouch contacted Kallen again, "Q-1, initiate mission phase three." He ordered, "Take your unit to point B-12, there is an old underground station there. You will descend into the underground and then follow the eastbound tunnel at full speed."

"And this will help us, how?" The Red Queen asked, her abrasive attitude making itself known again, he could almost picture her now trying to figure out how this action did anyone any good.

Nevertheless he wasn't about to spoil the surprise. Where was the fun in that? "Just follow my instructions, Q-1. All will be revealed in time, I promise you." He wasn't sure why, but he was pretty sure he meant more than just the new sky-light the Shinjuku underground was about to receive.

_Right then. _He'd give her team about a minute to get into position. Then again, he could just watch her red 'enemy' icon on the Sutherland's map. "It's nice to see she's the same as ever." He murmured to himself, forgetting he had a captive audience.

"Well of course she is," C.C stated, looking slightly confused as to what he was on about "we've travelled back in time, not to a different universe. Did you expect her to be a whole new person?"

"Dear God, I hope not." He replied, chuckling a little. Although now that he thought about it she did seem a little freer spirited than the girl he remembered taking a final walk through Ashton. The Kallen from that time had had her heart crushed by him on more than one occasion, all for the greater good...all of it hurting to do so. Maybe this time he could...

"Hey!" Speak of the devil, the Queen was calling, "We're in position, what now?"

Snapping out of his funk, Lelouch looked at the map again. All the Britannian Sutherlands were in position for the endgame. "Copy that Q-1." He responded, "Fire your Glasgow's slash harkens into the ceiling twenty meters to your rear, then get out of there. Reunite with P Group and enjoy the view."

Knowing that she'd follow his orders exactly as he'd told her, Lelouch hit the breaks on the Sutherland, almost sending C.C out of his lap at the sudden halt. _(Why don't these things have seatbelt?) _He then put the landspinners into full reverse and pulled back as fast as he could. Already he could hear Britannian pilots demanding to know why he was retreating, as well as a few taunts and insults, but he simply turned the comm. off. They were all dead, Kallen was about to see to it.

And not a moment later he was proven right, as the whole group he'd been with only a second before disappeared from sight, sinking into the ground. Some cockpits were visible flying away. Others weren't so lucky. Last time, when he saw the stream of red overtaking blue, he'd been unable to hold off an excited laugh of victory and triumph. He'd been running off the high, the realisation that he could do it hitting him then, his tactics could work, he could fight Britannia, he could win!

This time though, he merely stared down the huge hole in the floor at the pile of Sutherlands and armoured troop transports. How many had just died? Twenty pilots maybe? And then there were the transports, able to carry about ten standard infantry soldiers to and from hotspots, of which there were six, so another sixty, plus drivers and navigators, so that was seventy-two all there. Ninety-two dead. Not including the other Sutherlands and VTOLs as well as the Main Battle Tanks. _My first day back and I've already killed over a hundred people. Well its down now, and there's still a prince to kill._..and a certain white knight to get past.

That thought in mind, Lelouch turned the radio back on, even as he turned his Sutherland towards the now near defenceless G-1 base. "Well done everyone, however be on you guard. The Britannians still have one more card to play."

"And how do you know that, Mr Secrets?" Lelouch recognised the mistrusting, loudmouthed tone of Tamaki.

"I know that, P-5, because I keep my ear to the ground. The Britannians have a brand new Knightmare prototype here today, designed by the Earl of Asplund himself." That shut everybody up, good to see they knew enough about him to know to fear anything Lloyd put together. "Now all of you, pull out. Recover as many civilians as you can. The pilot's a noble sort, he won't pursue you if there's the possibility for human casualties." He remembered how the Lancelot had stopped its pursuit of him the first time round to rescue a Japanese mother and her baby, he had to hope that Suzaku would still act under those principles. It was about the only thing he could do.

Of course it would seem that not everyone held the same belief in his information. "Hey! Is that you?" Kallen's voice came over the radio, which he quickly picked up and responded to. "Tamaki's gone topside."

"Tamaki?" He had to keep up appearances of course.

"Uh...P-5," she quickly clarified, "he says you're full of crap and that there's nothing to worry about." There it was, the reason he trusted her so fully: her caring for her teammates, even an idiot like Tamaki. "Is there really a new model coming our way?"

"I rarely make mistakes Q-1." He put a hand over C.C's mouth before she could respond to that. "I'm positive we'll be seeing the new Knightmare very soon. Your Glasgow is no match for it so please don't try anything foolish."

"But what about Tamaki?"

"As long as he doesn't cross paths with the prototype, he should be fine." He assured her, "I understand your worry for him Q-1, but you have to consider your fellow teammates. Have a bit of faith in your comrade, alright?"

There was a pause on the line for a moment, and then Kallen responded, "Okay, I guess you're right." The tone however still held a bit of doubt in there, coupled with concern for their foolish comrade. "Oh hey, thanks for helping us out. We wouldn't have made it out without you."

"Yes you would have." He immediately responded, though Lelouch was glad to hear the genuine gratitude in her voice. Predicting that she was about to correct him on that, he interrupted her as she began her denial. "I merely guided you. It was the strength and determination of yourself and your comrades that did the rest."

"I don't know if I agree with you on that," she replied ruefully, "but thanks all the same..." and then he heard her chuckle over the line, "it's funny, we've been working together for a while now and I haven't even asked your name."

_My name? _Was he prepared to tell her that? Saying it would mean throwing himself entirely into the conflict again. True enough he'd said that he'd do what he could to make a better go of it this time, but thaere had been that niggling doubt in the back of his mind over whether or not he should go through with it, or for that matter if he even could change anything. What if, by changing things, he made the world worse instead of better? He could very well end up the Demon Emperor again if he wasn't careful. So many things were different already; Kallen now knowing of C.C thanks to his slip up earlier meant he'd have to rethink a few steps alone. And who knew what else might be different if he wasn't careful?

Something poked his chin from beneath and he glanced down at the green-haired woman staring at him evenly, as if knowing what he was thinking and chastising him for even thinking it.

_That's right, _he suddenly realised. _I'm not alone. Some deceptions will be necessary...but not for long. After all, if I can't trust Cera and Kallen then who can I trust? _

His mind made up, Lelouch took a deep breath and brough the radio to his lips. Into the mic, he spoke three words.

"I am," _I was, shall become, and forever will be..._"Zero!"

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto  
****Britannian Forward Command Centre**

**The White Knight**

To say that Suzaku Kururugi was nervous as he zipped up his pilot suit was an understatement, the prospect of piloting a Knightmare Frame, an experimental Seventh Gen one at that, was mindboggling. As a rule, Honourary Britannian soldiers weren't allowed to pilot Knightmares under any circumstances. Rules placed for a good reason, there was always the possibility of a terrorist infiltrator getting their hands on one and causing all sorts of unnecessary havoc on the lives of the people here, that red Glasgow out there being a prime example. On the other hand though, this could be it, his first step on the way to making things better for Japan. If he proved himself a competent pilot he might be able to rise in rank.

However there were other concerns regarding the battlefield he was about to wade back into. Not too long ago he'd quite literally run into his old childhood friend Lelouch Lamperouge in the Ghetto and quite understandably, both were surprised to see the other. Things had gotten even more complicated when the canister he'd been told was holding poison gas actually turned out to be some sort of strange holding cell for a green-haired young woman bound in a white straight-jacket. What a girl like her could be doing inside of that thing, Suzaku could only speculate, but the Britannian captain who found them certainly wasn't pleased to see her conscious and that two people outside of the 'need-to-know' group had seen her. The throbbing in Suzaku's gut where he'd been shot after refusing to kill his friend could atest to that.

He'd asked Cecile as he headed towards his machine if anyone had heard anything about a schoolboy and a young girl having been recovered from the ghetto. So far there hadn't been any reports. Although Cecile had said that there was nearly no chance of them still being there, that wasn't the same as saying they weren't there at all.

_He's caught up in there somewhere, _Suzaku thought to himself as he climbed up to the cockpit of the Z-01 Lancelot, _Lelouch and that girl are still in there. _He didn't know how Lelouch got wound up in all this, but frankly he didn't much care. All he cared about was getting in, smashing the terrorists, and getting his friend out. And this new Knightmare Frame was just the thing he needed.

The numerous system checks being carried out by Lloyd Asplund's team just washed over him, everything about him focussed on getting back to the action.

Finally all the checks ended and the Lancelot dropped into its launch stance, mimicking a runner's crouch, the landspinners dropping into position behind each foot. The manual said the Lancelot had a boost of some sort, and that would definitely help him get the job done faster.

"Lancelot" He commanded, seizing the controls, a determined frown set on his features, "activate ME Boost."

He barely heard Cecile give him the go ahead to launch. One moment he was there, the next he was blasting through the streets and back into the ghetto. _This speed is incredible! I'll bet it can max out at three times the speed of any other Knightmare._ Better yet, it handled like a dream. Suzaku had run the simulations, but practice and the real thing were worlds apart. He commanded, and the Lancelot obeyed instantly, turning and cutting corners in a way that no other Knightmare could possibly match. It almost felt like he was operating an extension of himself, rather than a bulky tank of legs. However, reality also had its sting to go with its sweetness: unlike the simulations, Suzaku had a bullet wound that wasn't fully healed and the sheer force of the Lancelot's speed was wreaking all kinds of hell on his body.

_This machine is capable of taking down any Knightmare Frame that gets in its way, however it has one drawback: The pilot. _He winced as he felt another spasm of pain erupt from his gut, enough to force him to place a hand over it. A second later he remembered where he was and grabbed hold of the controls again. _I can take this! The Lancelot's not gonna break me, I'm the one breaking it in. I'll come back with Lelouch and I don't care who gets in my way!_

He was so focussed on returning to the battle that he missed the Sutherland that trundled past, his eyes set straight ahead at the Knightmare that was shooting at him. _Nice try, terrorist, but this is no Sutherland. _With one decisive blow, Lancelot tasted combat for the first time.

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto  
****Britannian Forward Command Centre**

**The Witch and the Warlock**

"Well, there goes Suzaku." Lelouch noted as the Lancelot steamrolled by, barely dodging them. "I have to admit, when it's not trying to dice me up, it's quite an impressive machine. But then, Lloyd is an exceptional engineer." There was only one other he could think of who could compare, but then she would be offended if he ever told her that he considered her and the Earl of Pudding on the same level.

C.C glanced at it in the rear monitor, "Shouldn't we help Tamaki out? He's going to lose another machine at this rate." Then she sighed and shook her head as she spotted the cockpit eject from the Sutherland the Lancelot's Harkens had just cut into. "Correction, he's lost another machine."

To that, Lelouch just laughed, "How many does that make now? I lost count after the Black Rebellion."

"And you expect me to know?" She shot back, though her eyes were filled with the same mirth. "Maybe we should just start from one again to save us the trouble."

"I can agree to that."

"So, do you have a plan on how to get us both in?" She asked him, her focus returning to the fast approaching G-1 command base. "You didn't have me with you last time so how are we both going to get in?"

"My dear Cera," He drawled, letting go of the Sutherland's controls to caress her face, "do you have no faith in me at all?" The blush he managed to get out of her with his words alone was his prize. No more was needed of him, and so he returned to the job of driving. Not that he had much further to go, aside from the hatch that had just spawned the Lancelot, his Sutherland was the only Knightmare Frame in the vicinity. Doubtless that was going to turn a few heads. Fortunately he had a plan.

Upon his approach before Suzaku passed them back, Lelouch had already singled out an empty hatch that looked as if it was designed for Sutherland docking and recharging. It was close enough to the G-1 so that they wouldn't be too far away, yet at a distance so that it didn't look suspicious. As he'd expected, he was soon contacted by the support crew there, demanding to know what he was doing back.

"My energy filler's almost empty," he explained, "I need a recharge."

"How'd you escape that trap?" The techies asked him as they locked his Sutherland down.

"By pure luck." He replied, making sure to add a bit of anger, "Those damn bastards got my friends, Jason, Corin...Colin. I'll make all of them pay. I'll make all those damn Elevens pay!"

"Hey, whoa! Cool down hot shot." One of the techs said, "We'll have you fixed up and back at it in no time. Come on out for a bit, take a moment to calm down."

Breathing heavily, keeping up the pretence of anger, Lelouch responded, "Yeah...yeah alright. Just gimme a second." However he never even made a move to open his cockpit and just sat there.

"Lelouch, what are you doing?"

"Something I'm very good a doing, Cera." He responded carefully, "I'm gambling." He'd played this hand once before and had been on the verge of losing had it not been for C.C's timely intervention the last time around. This time he hoped for better odds. None of these technicians were Cornelia so the odds were in his favour. He just needed to wait for someone to speak.

Someone eventually did. "Hey, something up?"

Taking his cue, Lelouch effected a frustrated grunt. "Something's wrong with the hatch." He told the poor sucker, though he sat completely still biding his time with playing with C.C's hair. Oh he could do all sorts of things with this hair, it wasn't as if he'd never wondered. He was a teenage boy after all.

It seemed his gamble paid off as the technician nodded in understanding, "Yeah that can happen sometimes, just sit tight and we'll have you out in a moment."

"Okay, but make it quick," Lelouch replied, "I don't want to be stuck in here all day."

"Don't you?" C.C asked him when he turned off the comm., pouting playfully, her hands beginning to roam about his chest and up his neck, her breath tickling his skin, "And here I thought we were having so much fun," she whispered throatily, "you don't want me?" She asked, smouldering gold eyes demanding that he respond to her stare.

If he wanted to laugh, he found that he couldn't get enough air for more than the odd gasp; if he intended to affirm her claims, the bulge in his pants quickly shut that part of his brain down. What in hell's name was he ever going to do with this woman? "You are...utterly incorrigible, aren't you?" Lelouch finally managed to get out, even as his arms turned traitor and began their own exploratory process about her body, up her back, over her stomach, between her breasts.

She wasn't to be outdone though, quickly shifting her position so that she now had a leg over each side of him, her arms wrapped around his neck, her breasts pressed flat against his chest. "Oh indeed I am," C.C agreed, "and you," she ground her hips against the hardened bulge between his legs "absolutely love it."

_Oh I do..._He conceded, _God help me I do. _Whatever self control he'd been holding onto for the last hour suddenly evaporated and he pulled her the rest of the way towards him, smashing her lips into his in an open kiss. This wasn't like before, gentle passion feeding in slowly to greater heights. This one was pure fire and need and lust for the lustrous woman who he just couldn't wrap his mind around, but who could certainly wrap her body around him.

It wasn't enough. He needed more, needed to taste her. Without waiting, he plunge his tongue into her open mouth, where her own was there waiting for him. He was giving her his all, and as should be expected of her, she was giving him everything right back, her powerfully delicate hands snaking their way through his raven hair causing all sorts of thoughts to rush into his mind.

_Not enough! _He concluded. _Not nearly enough! More, I need more! I need to see her. I need to see all of her!_

He was all set to undo the buckles and fastenings that held her prisoner's garb to her, and he had the hazy suspicion that she wasn't about to stop him, seeing as her hands _(where did they come from?)_ were now working on his school jacket. The top buttons were already undone and the black was giving way to the white shirt underneath. _Just a bit more, I need to feel more! _

Unfortunately for both of them, the technician Lelouch had spoken to had gotten the outside hatch ejection system active, and the cockpit was opening before either of them could go any further. Even more unfortunately for him though was that the exterior eject switch was on the top of the cockpit...so when he got the hatch open and the seat pulled out...

"Hey! What the?!"

That was as far as he got, before a furious Lelouch shot his Geass right into him. "You will forget everything and anything you know about us." He ordered, "You will hand over your technician's uniform to me, _now."_

The poor man had no choice but to obey stripping himself down to his underwear and giving it to the flustered, and overly aroused teen in front of him. C.C then firmly knocked him out with a blow to the head, her cheeks burning crimson, and then chucked him into the Sutherland, closing the hatch behind him. If this were another time, Lelouch would have found C.C losing her cool like that amusing. This was most certainly _not _any other time. He was too furious with himself for that. What the hell was he doing?! He had a mission to finish here and a brother to kill! Pleasure could come later. And it would most certainly _not _take place in the cockpit of a Knightmare Frame! Even more annoying, he had a raging hard on now that wasn't going anywhere and wasn't exactly hidden by the technician's uniform.

Looking at C.C, he noted that she was having an equally hard time calming down. Was this the first time she'd let someone get the drop on her like that as well? _Well, at least we're both suffering the humiliation together. _He at last conceded.

When she noticed him staring at her, C.C quickly ducked her head away, trying desperately to hide her blush. Probably fighting to get her mask of indifference back in place, something he suspected was going to be very hard to do for a while. Taking pity on his partner, Lelouch wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close.

"Later." Was all he said. But that one word held the promise of more than just a few things to come. Because he'd just had a brief taste of true loss of control...and he had liked it.

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto  
****Britannian Forward Command Centre**

**The Painter**

Prince Clovis' bad day had just become an unbearable one. He wasn't sure which he found more humiliating, the fact that he'd been beaten by a group of Eleven terrorists or that the only way he could quell them was to send in Lloyd's new weapon. On the one hand, he would be the laughing stock of the court if the Elevens were allowed to get away with this, on the other he absolutely loathed having to owe that scientific sociopath anything.

Now that Asplund was going to lord this over him for weeks, chirping on and on about his brilliant new 'Lancelot,' a fanciful name considering the creators and their obsession with Arthurian lore, even naming their organisation 'Camelot.'

_Who does that Asplund think he is, bringing his experiments into my battlefield? _Never mind that it had turned the tide. How was he supposed to show up at any of his events now without being the butt of any measure of snide remarks? He'd needed the help of a scientist to stop a bunch of Elevens. Even worse was that he'd heard that the pilot of the Lancelot was an Eleven himself. Oh the humiliation! To be bested by Elevens and then saved by and Eleven? They might as well take away his royal privileges right now.

_Is there any possible way for this day to get any worse? _He thought to himself morosely as he collapsed into his throne, the command staff long gone seeing as there weren't any pilots left for them to command. In response to his bleak thoughts, the lights on the bridge suddenly shut off.

Clovis should have learned by now: It could always get worse.

"Who's there?!" He demanded, fully set on not letting whoever was playing around with him to unnerve him. "If this is some sort of joke, Asplund, it isn't funny!"

It was funny to someone, though, as a chuckle from one of the bridge entrance's caught his ear. Spinning around, the blond spotted two figures in the darkness, one dressed in a mechanic's shirt and trousers, as well as a hat that was pulled low over his eyes. The figure leant back against the adjacent wall, perfectly relaxed in the presence of royalty. The other was an interesting sight, clearly female with flowing waist-length lime-green hair., she was clad in a white prisoner's outfit, though she was also wearing white boots that seemed to travel all the way up her legs. Her stance was equally lax, however there seemed to be a spark of impatience behind those golden eyes of hers. Somethng clicked then in Clovis' mind. Bartley's test subject. Hadn't he described her as a woman clad in a straight-jacket? This could be her.

_But wait...if she's here...is she looking for Bartley? Is she going to kill him? And what about me? I...I know that she's here...then that means...that means! _Quickly Clovis got himself together, though his hands still quivered as he turned to face them properly.

"Who are you two?" He demanded again, however they remained silent. "Answer me!" The two of them now turned to face him, but that was all they did, regarding him with non-verbal tedium. "I am Prince Clovis la Britannia! By that authority, I command you to answer my question!"

At his words, the girl finally spoke though it was to her companion. "Did he talk this much the last time?" She asked him, her tone full of derision.

"Actually," the boy replied, "he's doing a good job of restraining himself this time."

This time? Last time? What on Earth were these two blathering about? Didn't they realise who he was?! He was all set to remind them both, taking a daring step forward...and then froze as the boy held up a standard issue sidearm in his right hand, laser-guiding system turned on, and pointed the barrel directly at Clovis' head right between the eyes.

"I saw someone I care very deeply about get shot today." The boy continued, pushing himself off the wall and beginning to walk lazily about the bridge, the pistol however never left its mark. "She took a bullet that was meant for me, right there." He nudged the barrel a little bit, emphasising the point he was making. "I don't know if she felt any pain. I don't know if she died immediately...all I know is that one moment she's standing before me...and the next one she's lying in her own blood."

By this point he'd come to stand by the comm. systems, and then to Clovis' outrage, the boy turned his back on him, as if he were some unimportant grunt. _He dares mock me! _Anger made him bold and he stepped forward again, only to be pushed back by the girl who seemed to materialise beside him and shove him back to his throne with inhuman strength, pinning him down with a heel.

"Careful now, dear." The boy advised, not even looking up from his work, "We need him in one piece and breathing for his role."

"Role?!" The distraught prince cried out, though the girl's position didn't shift, her shoe's heel digging into his ribcage as he tried to get back up. "You impudent fools! Do you have any idea who I am?!"

The girl just rolled her eyes though and turned to her partner, "Are you just about done? This is getting annoying."

"Just about," he responded, finishing whatever it was he was doing at the comm. before turning to face Clovis again, his features still hidden in the shadows. "Now then, Prince Clovis, you're going to order your men in the Ghetto to stand down from the purge orders you gave them."

_That's it? _Clovis thought incredulously. _These two infiltrated my command base, evaded my security, and held me hostage just to save a few Elevens? _Was that the only reason they were here? Daring to test the waters, he asked his captor "What happens if I refuse?"

"Dear?"

At that one word, the girl dug her heel right into his chest, forcing the air out of his lungs. Suddenly, breathing became a desperate struggle for Clovis. He tried to cry out but he had no air with which to make a sound. His eyes still spasmed wide open and his limbs writhed about as he tried to get some leverage, however all that did was cause the girl's heel to sink in further.

Finally the boy waved a hand and the pressure on Clovis' chest disappeared. Immediately he fell forwards onto his knees before his tormentor gasping for air. Where the hell was his security? They should have realised that something wasn't right by now and rushed to his side!

"The system is all set up, Prince Clovis." The boy stated casually, as if he had not just seen his partner torture a prince. "As soon as you're ready, you can tell your men to stand down."

What other option did he have? This was all Bartley's fault to begin with! Why couldn't the fool have held on to this girl? Couldn't he handle something so basic?! Now there was some phantom out there tearing his forces apart, and Asplund was playing with him. And now these two had broken in, one of the probably the cause of this whole mess to begin with, demanding him to cancel his orders as if he were some common liuetenant.

_What choice do I have? _Clovis at last, bitterly concluded. The only way to save his skin now was to work with these two. Breathing in one more time, he put is feet beneath him and stood back up straight, taking care not to meet the girl's aloof expression. Covering up his fear and humiliation, he addressed the boy as calmly as he possibly could, "Put me on."

The boy chuckled and did just that, turning on the outbound communications array, it would reach all units in the area, near and far. _He knew exactly what to do. _Clovis noted, making sure to remember that for another time, _He's familiar with this layout. _Not that it mattered right now, all he wanted was to make these two go away. Still, acting was something he was good at, just look at his speech from this morning, and he soon had his role of a confident commander ready to go.

"Attention all forces! Cease fire at once!" He shouted into the mic provided for him. Already he could picture the confusion on the faces of all his troops as he gave that 'order,' not that it mattered, his job was to tell them what to do, their job was to do it. "I, Clovis la Britannia, third Prince of Britannia and Royal Viceroy of Area Eleven, hereby command all forces to stand down from all previous orders. You will also cease the destruction of any buildings or property! All casualties, whether Britannian or Eleven must be treated equally and without prejudice," he suspected that his audience would like that, it would probably go a long way to them not disposing of him once they were done here. Still, he needed to wrap it up before it sounded too longwinded, "In the name of Clovis la Britannia, you are hereby ordered. Cease fire at once! I shall allow no further conflict!"

That seemed to be all they wanted because the boy then shut down the comm. As for Clovis himself, he felt himself growing irritated at the pair of them again. "Are you satisfied, then?"

"Yes indeed." The boy replied. "Very nicely performed, highness. You always were a good actor."

_Even now he mocks me. _The prince seethed inwardly, but did his best to keep a calm visage. "So then, what shall we do now to pass the time?" He asked sarcastically, feeling the bruising on his chest start to make itself known. "Maybe we could sing a few ballads...or how about a nice game of chess?"

To his ire, the girl who hadn't abandoned his side throughout his speech let out a sharp, jeering laugh. "A game of chess with you as an opponent wouldn't be a game of chess at all." She stated bluntly, "He wouldn't even need to play, your first move would doom you."

"Why you insolent little...!" He would have gone further, however he suddenly felt the red laser dot of the sidearm find his head again, and Clovis felt his blood go chill. They weren't actually going to...?

"She has a point, Clovis," the one holding the gun pointed out, even as he left the comm and made his way towards the throne "in fact, that's how I always beat you at chess when we were boys. Your first move gave away your entire strategy. Your tactics today were just typical of you."

"What?"

"Every time you came to visit the Aries Villa, remember?" The boy continued, taking off his cap and tossing it aside as he stepped into the light. "To think you styled yourself my rival, brother. You know the only one who could match me was Schneizel." Violet eyes burning with malice bore into his gaze, and Clovis, to his horror, realised he was face to face with the one who had been directing the terrorists throughout this entire battle. After all, who else could string him along better than Lelouch vi Britannia?

"B-brother!" He stuttered, his fear now reaching perfectly new heights. Though Lelouch was younger than him, there had always been something about the boy that had frightened Clovis. That intensity in his eyes that he shared with his mother, Lady Marriane 'The Flash.' Though he was quite soft spoken, many in court had expected Lelouch would enter military service once he was old enough, his excellent strategic mind and his sheer ability to bring people over to his way of thinking with his words alone, for an eight-year old, had been something else to behold. It was with no shame that Clovis felt intimidated by the prodigy, even his half-brother Schneizel had told him in confidence that, given enough time, Lelouch would overtake him in terms of strategy.

And now that same boy was holding a gun to his head. "I...I'm overjoyed to see you alive brother!" He stammered out, "This is a dream come true, we must inform Father immediately!"

For a moment it seemed as if Lelouch was considering that action himself, before he simply smirked and shook his head. "While truly tempting, I'm afraid I'll have to pass." And with that, he cocked the pistol.

_He's serious! _Clovis realised, his heart skipping a beat as he tried to think of some way to save himself. "W-wait!" He begged, "Please! Is this about Lady Marianne?! I had nothing to do with that! I had nothing but respect for her!" Lelouch wasn't moved, in fact the mention of his mother seemed to have caused his expression to sour, not that Clovis was paying any attention to that bit. "Talk to Schneizel and Cornelia! They know more! They can tell you!"

_He's still going to do it! He's going to kill me! _"Please!" Clovis fell out of his throne onto his knees, "You can't do this Lelouch! We may have different mothers, but you and I are still family!"

"Pitiful fool." The girl murmured. "Get this over with Lelouch. I'm getting hungry." With a dismissive wave of her hair she abandoned the pair of them, the younger brother standing over the older one.

Lelouch glanced up at her and Clovis noted that he had a fond smile on his face. "Ah Cera, there truly is no one like her...as for you." His expression became cold as steel, no feeling clear behind those eyes, "You involved innocent Japanese civilians in a pointless slaughter to capture a girl who'd been mercilessly tortured by the Code-R research team. Your General Bartley was at the heart of that team, personally giving the go ahead to perform horrific experiments on her! You Britannians harmed my Cera!"

_'You Britannians?' Has he gone native? _"B-but Lelouch!" Clovis tried one more time, "You're Britannian too! You're a prince of the royal family! Lelouch vi Britannia!"

"Am I?" The young prince asked, his blank expression changinng into one of pure devil's humour. "I truly don't know if I agree with you on that, 'brother'. However that isn't what we were discussing, was it? We were discussing the murder of civilians." Again his expression changed, to one of complete disdain and loathing, "And now you kneel before me, begging me to spare your life. Maybe you should have considered your position in all of this." And with that, he jammed the pistol right against Clovis' skull.

"No! Please! Lelouch please no! NO!"

"The only ones who should kill, are those prepared to be killed."

* * *

**As I said, got a bit carried away. And my god did I make Clovis a snivelling wimp or what? I mean yeah, he's not what I'd call a tactical genius, but he still tried...even if the move was stupid.  
As you might have guessed, I suck at action sequences, so instead I stuck in the command centre watching as Lelouch's forces decimated the Sutherlands. Its a cop out, I know. Sue me.  
****Also, Suzaku's debut...that I completely skipped over, sorry Suzu-lovers. I don't hate the guy, but the chapter was getting long and I needed to find something to cut.  
Tamaki was an idiot. But hey, we needed to have the Lancelot take out something, I'm not going to leave it with nothing, even if it's just a couple of sentences.  
So anyway, that's Shinjuku concluded. Now the true nightmare begins: Ashford Academy, home of the most evil, conniving, manipulative creature that has ever been born of man! Milly Ashford.  
*****lightning strikes*  
Huh...weird.**


	4. Turn 3 Return to Ashford

**19/5/13**

**This chapter actually surprised me. I fully intended to get to the next day and reintroduce Kallen Stadfelt, as well as the rest of the student council, to the audience. Instead...this happened. It seems my muse wanted to take care of something that one of my reviewers pointed out...and then decided to do something that even I didn't expect. Funny how that works.  
****Sorry guys, no giant robot fights today. Nor is there anything really take-over-the-world related. If you're a softy at heart like myself though...well...you'll see. **

**20/5/13  
****Okay...I can't stomach it anymore. To hell with my muse! If it wants to do something so OOC of them, I'll hand the scene over to the fangirls. I've rewritten the chapter as I initially summarised it to myself. Which means Student Council and Kallen.  
****I apologise to my readers, you all deserve better than that crap I handed you.**

* * *

**Chapter 3  
****Return to Ashford  
**

**a.t.b 2017  
****Tokyo Settlement  
****Train Bound for Ashford Academy**

**The Witch and the Warlock**

"You are such a broken record."

"Hm?" Lelouch glanced at C.C standing beside him, staring out the train window at the empty command centre they'd left behind. "Where did that come from?"

"'The only ones who should kill are those who are prepared to be killed.'" She recited, making sure to add in an over the top exaggeration of his speech. "Honestly, that line of yours is so used I think the only thing you've said more is 'all tasks at hand have been achieved.' And we both know what happens when you say that."

"W-what's that supposed to mean?" He whispered furiously, looking over his shoulder at the numerous passengers, fearing they might have overheard him. Turns out he needn't have bothered, everyone here was chattering away about the latest terrorist attack. They'd never think that the mastermind behind the terrorists' survival was the lazy schoolboy leaning against a rail with an arm around his beautiful, yet strangely dressed companion. And what was wrong with that line anyway? It helped him keep focus on how far along his battle strategy he was.

C.C however put it in a perspective that he honestly hadn't noticed before, "Every single time you said that line, something went wrong, usually in the form of the Lancelot showing up." She rolled her eyes at his gutted stare the remark caused him, "It got so bad there was actually a rumour going around that the line was jinxed."

_What?! _But...was that true? Did something always go wrong every time he said that? If so then... "Why didn't anybody say anything?"

"No one wanted to contradict you." She replied simply, completely uninterested again, content to just follow the path of the setting sun. "You were Zero after all, the Knight for Justice. A title like that can be a bit intimidating."

"Intimidating? Me?"

"No, not you. Zero." She broke her vigil and turned to look at him, looking utterly perplexed at his lack of understanding, "You of all people should know just how powerful a symbol your vigilante superhero became. They put the image of Zero up on a pillar, why else do you think the Knights felt so betrayed when they learned of your Geass?"

Her words had the ring of truth. Lelouch had known just how powerful a single warrior against the unjust masses appeared to the trampled Japanese people. He'd quite literally bet his life on it on more than one occasion to get him through an operation or to inspire loyalty. Maybe it was because he'd seen the mask on another face actively living up to the legend of the masses, but he suddenly couldn't quite put a finger on how he'd kept the Black Knights with him as long as he did. The costume hadn't endeavoured to make him look strong or powerful, it had designed to be memorable. As such his lacking physical strength couldn't have gone unnoticed by experienced fighters like Oghi or Kallen. Had Zero's legend been that powerful?

_No wonder they were ready to gun me down when Schneizel got to them, _Lelouch thought to himself bitterly. Even his core group had come to believe in the power of Zero. To find out that he might have been manipulating them with his Geass all this time...Kallen had nearly shot him upon their reunion the last time because she needed to know if he'd used his Geass on her to make her obey him..._I'm such a fool._

"Deep thoughts?" C.C's words pulled him back to the present and he glanced at her, noting a slight change in her impenetrable expression. Having known her as long as he had, Lelouch correctly discerned the sympathy she was showing and sighed, ducking his head down. Thankfully though, she didn't push him. As had always been the way with the two of them, if they felt like keeping something to themselves, then the other calmly accepted it, making a note not to push them. When it came to two people who knew just how dangerous the truth could be, privacy was something neither was about to begrudge the other over.

They stayed like that for the rest of the journey through the settlement, although Lelouch was so busy thinking about just how much weight he was considering putting back on his shoulders in the form of a mask that he nearly missed the PA system announcing their stop coming up. Thankfully it seemed C.C was in a charitable mood as she tugged him gently to follow as the train came to a halt.

After that it was a short walk back to the academy, up through the secret underground entrance that Milly had been so kind to show him back when he was made Vice President of the Student Council, past the security hub that he'd converted into his base of operations during the second uprising, and then up the elevator into the Student Council building. Walking these halls again, Lelouch was assaulted with more than one memory of a time before Geass and rebellions, of a time when Milly made odd innuendo comment after another, lecherously teasing every single one of them at chance she got; when Rivalz would do everything in his power to get Milly to go out with him, from doing all her work, to following Lelouch into the 'dangerous' world of gambling to look like a badass...all of which blew up in his face or just weren't noticed; when timid little Nina worked on her school projects as well as science that benefited the people rather than melting them away; where Shirley continuously tried to get Lelouch to give a damn about his schoolwork, not that it ever worked, all the time trying to get up the strength to tell him about her crush.

He owed them all a lot, even if they didn't know it...especially Nina and Shirley. _I'll find a way to make amends...somehow._ There wasn't any point in thinking about it now though, because as they approached the rooms set aside for him, Lelouch realised there was one who he owed even more to.

Without meaning to, he turned away from the path that would lead to his room and instead followed the corridor to the other room. Sayako wasn't around, but then he hadn't expected the assassin/kunoichi/maid to be, it was after dark and she was probably sleeping. Nevertheless, Lelouch found himself still heading for the room that wasn't his until he was right outside the door, the butterfly engraved on its surface, his legs finally coming to a halt. He knew which room this was, knew who slept in the bed within. _I...I can't go in there...I can't even look at her. _

In the two months leading up to the final act of the Requiem, Lelouch had never once gone to interrogate his prisoners, not even to jeer at them to keep up appearances. He couldn't. Because each and every one of those prisoners was a friend that he'd betrayed, an ally he'd fought beside...a woman he'd loved. But there was one that he knew he could never be in the same presence of again. And now she was just the slide of a door away.

"Lelouch?" He'd completely forgotten about C.C until she spoke, her voice and arms wrapping around his shaking form protectively. There was no right that he could possibly own that could allow him in there, even travelling back in time wasn't an excuse, because he _remembered. _

_I swore I'd never use Geass on her...and then I did. _The hatred he'd harboured for himself ever since that day had gnawed away at his heart, causing him to become even more bitter and cold towards his subjects. It definitely helped the image of the Demon Emperor, that was for sure. Sometimes he even came dangerously close to going down to the dungeon and simply telling her everything that was to come...but that might have ruined the entire plan. Everyone had to believe he was the monster he was acting as, and everyone had to believe in Zero...even her.

And now, here he was again at the start and he just _couldn't do it! _

As ever thought, it was C.C who brought him out of it. "It's alright," She whispered gently against his ear, "go to her." And then she unwrapped herself from him and turned back the way they'd come, the moonlight catching her and making her appear all the more beautiful. "Just don't take too long," she threw over her shoulder, that classic smirk of hers in place, "as a gentleman, you should know it's bad manners to keep your lady waiting." And then she was gone, leaving the former Emperor of the World slack-jawed.

Lelouch was still, unsure of what to do now. He'd actually been hoping that C.C would just pull him away and he could have drowned his sorrows in her...but then he would've just been using her to forget the horror he caused. After seeing the memories of Cera, the girl who wanted to be loved, the last thing he wanted to be was another user. She deserved better than that. They both did.

But how could he just walk in there? This was...it was..._her._ The one he'd betrayed the most. _But I'm going to be living with her all the same, and she was always good at telling when I was keeping something from her. _Sighing, Lelouch steeled himself for the worst. _Alright then, lets get it over with._

Decision made, he walked the last distance necessary for the sensors to pick him up and the butterfly door slid open. Gulping down his nerves, he stepped inside, hearing the door slide shut behind him.

And there she was, innocence still intact, unspoiled from his actions. A princess even in exile, sleeping soundly and apparently enjoying her dream if the little smile was to be believed.

"_Cross my heart, hope to die, eat a thousand needles if I lie!"_

Oh how he'd planned to do just that if Suzaku hadn't kept his promise.

"_How do you do everyone? I shall be assuming the viceroy-ship of Area 11."_

He'd been crushed when he'd seen that transmission, his own sister now his enemy, whether he was or wasn't Zero. His whole reason for creating a new world, crushed with her words.

"_Are you here to kill me too, like you killed my sister Euphie and my brother Clovis?"_

Words he never thought he'd hear out of her mouth directed at him. More than ever before Lelouch thanked his taste for the dramatic; the mask hid how stunned, hurt, and completely shattering her words were to him.

"_I think...that what you're doing is wrong."_

His desire to fight on...gone in less than three seconds.

"_Listen well Lelouch...you are my enemy."_

It was one thing for him to realise it and another for her to say it. Regardless that he'd done what he did to create her gentler world, she was now standing fully against him.

"_When did I ever say that I wanted this?! Lelouch, I would have been perfectly happy just living with you!"_

If he thought that that was all it would take to keep her safe, didn't she think that he would have done just that?! He'd run the numbers, worked out all the possibilities and then worked out the probability of each one. In all of them, they were revealed and taken back to Pendragon, where their father would have used them both to draw out C.C. Fighting Britannia was the only hope either of them had of living free of their parents and their mad ideals.

"_The Damocles will become a symbol of the world's hatred, all of it focussed here. That way people can move toward their future."_

Clever, clever girl. She'd worked it out herself, how to give the people of the Earth a future. Without realising it, the pair of them had been working towards the same goal. But in the end only one of them could suffer the sword of Zero. And it had to be him.

"_Lelouch vi Britannia commands you! Hand over the Damocles key to me now!"_

His ultimate sin. Her true strength brought forth. She fought against it even longer than Euphie did, determined not to let him take away the people's future. But in the end...it was the Geass of Absolute Obedience after all.

"_You're a demon Lelouch! Despicable!"_

A demon...no that hadn't fit him, once again she was letting him off easy. 'Monster' fit him better. Only a monster makes his crippled sister so desperate to stop him that she'll crawl to reach him.

_So what the hell am I doing, sitting so close to her? _He'd made his way across the room, past her old wheelchair and drawers and sat down on her bed. Something as foul as him had no right to be in the same house as someone as pure and kind as her. He had to leave now. Right now! Disgusted at himself, Lelouch stood back up and almost ran for the door, intent on getting as far away from her as possible before he ruined everything again.

"Big Brother?" Her young voice, gentle and sweet, froze him in his tracks. Had he woken her? Daring to turn around, he looked back at the sleeping form of his sister. Sandy brown hair splayed out beneath her, her smile had widened just a little. Her head wasn't turned towards him though, so he had to assume she was still asleep. Letting out a contented sigh, she turned over a bit wrapping herself up in the blanket.

_She's going to have a field day getting back into the chair tomorrow if she sleeps like that, _a voice in his head told him, compelling him to make is way back. Carefully, Lelouch pulled at the blanket so it slipped out from where it had been tugged under and lay it flat over her again, tucking it in under her chin. _That should do it, now get out! _However as he let the blanket go, his hand brushed against her cheek, causing her to giggle just a little bit. _Idiot! _He chastised himself. _What right have you to touch her after what you did?! _

This time he would leave, and there was nothing that could stop him. He made it to the door when she spoke again in her sleep. "Lelouch...I love you, big brother."

"...Nunnally?"

* * *

**Ashford Academy  
****Student Council Building, Lelouch's Room**

**The Witch and the Warlock**

He was taking his sweet time with his little sister, not that C.C begrudged him that. If there was someone like that in her life that she'd wronged so much and was given the chance to set right, chances were she would be faced with the same dillemma's her Warlock was now currently facing. She'd seen it when he started unconsciously walking towards Nunnally's room, unaware of there being anything wrong until he realised where he was heading. Now he was likely asking himself what gave him the right to be so close to someone he had hurt so badly.

And for once she didn't have a quick remark or thought on the subject to help him focus. The only thing she could do was give him time, the rebellion would start when he wanted it to start...although by killing Clovis, it was likely that Cornelia had already gotten the call about it even if it wasn't broadcast on T.V. Nevertheless, Lelouch was distracted right now, caught up in his own grief. There was a very likely possibility that he could come in here and demand that she comfort him, like Kallen had told her he asked her to do after Nunnally declared the re-establishment of the Special Zone.

_Give him some credit. _She chastised herself, _He's smarter than that. There's no way he could ever get me to do anything...unless he asks very nicely that is._

Once again, she marvelled at how forward he was being with her. In less than a day, they'd kissed, groped, and nearly let loose in a Knightmare cockpit. Whilst a rather embarrassing predicament, she sort of thanked the mechanic who got them out – if they were going to play, she wanted to have a lot of room to play with. And so here she waited, her prisoner's clothes lying forgotten on the floor and one of Lelouch's white button-up shirts serving as a nightie, the top couple of buttons left teasingly open. The small bed in Lelouch's room would do for now, but later she'd see if they couldn't provide some truth to Tamaki's accusations of her being Zero's Mistress. And then she would laugh when Zero ordered Kallen to kick the perverted moron out of the hideout.

Speaking of Zero, the man behind the mask himself had just entered the room...and he looked frailer and more worn than C.C had ever seen him before. There had been times when he looked like he was about to give up – the time when he'd been forced to take away his friend Shirley's memories, effectively killing the girl who knew him and replacing her with someone who'd never even heard the name Lelouch, was one such occasion. But this...this was different. He looked like he'd trekked through Hell and come out the other side a broken man.

"Cera..." His voice was hoarse and weak, no strength in him whatsoever. "I...I can't...I don't...how do I...?"

But she was already up off the bed and stood in front of him. On the way back here, he'd reaffirmed that he held no resentment towards her for anything that had happened in the coarse of his campaign...he apparently left out that he still held more than a little bit of hatred towards himself. Before he could ask what she was doing or make excuses to get her away from him, or any of that other crap that noble types like himself tried to do to keep the ones they cared about from harm. Clearly though, he'd forgotten who he was dealing with. There was no one who could tell her what to do, it came with the territory of being centuries old. C.C did what she wanted, and right now what she wanted to do was take care of her Warlock. And that was exactly what she did.

Carefully, she took his head in her hands and pulled it down to the crook of her neck, years of looking after Mao coming back to her. Oh Lelouch was considerably taller than her psychopathic pseudo-son, but the idea was the same. What he needed right now was to know that someone cared. He was confused and lost and just didn't know what to think. And so she held him, even as his feeble attempt at keeping himself together collapsed and he broke down sobbing. Without letting him go, C.C guided him to his bed and lay them both down, Lelouch slightly on top of her as she moved his head to rest underneath her chin, still crying his heart out.

They stayed like that the whole night, long after he'd cried himself to sleep, all thoughts of passion left by the wayside in the wake of Lelouch's inevitable breakdown. That wasn't what he needed right now. What he needed at this very moment was compassion and someone who understood. Thankfully for him, he had just the woman for the job.

* * *

The first sign that he'd been asleep was the harsh light of day pouring in from the window on the other side of the room, and somewhere he could make out the sound of water running. Moaning depressedly, Lelouch covered his eyes. That had to be the cruellest dream he'd ever had these last two months.

He'd dreamed that the Requiem went off perfectly, Suzaku killed him and the culmination of all his crimes had born the fruit of the new world that Nunnally would keep watch over with her knight, Zero. That was where sense ended; he remembered dreaming that somehow he'd gone back in time to the moment that he and C.C entered their contract and that he'd fought the Shinjuku battle again. This time he'd done something different and...oh god he and C.C nearly had sex in a Sutherland cockpit!

_That's just...beneath us! _Lelouch felt revolted that he could even act so cheap with her. She deserved better than that, wherever she was now.

That bit hadn't been the worst. After he killed Clovis again, they'd made their way back to Ashford together and then he had gone to check on Nunnally. And then, in her sleep, his little sister had told him that she loved him. What a joke! As if she would ever say such a thing to him again. Not that he'd have to wait to find out that is and_...wait a minute._

The bed he was on was a simple single mattress, without any sort of ornate designs. As Emperor, he'd been sleeping in the Imperial Chambers in Pendragon, sleeping on a four-poster Kingsized bed with satin sheets and drapes usually blocked out most of the sun's light. After Schneizel blew up Pendragon with the F.L.E.I.J.A. Lelouch had re-purposed the Commanding Officer's quarters on the Damocles into his personal chambers. A Demon Emperor shouldn't walk the Earth after all.

The room he was sitting up in was nothing like those quarters and a far cry from the Imperial Chambers, those rooms in particular had been huge. This looked like...no...

_This looks like my room in Ashford! _But it couldn't be! He should be aboard the Damocles! Looking down though, he saw not his bare skin (a habit he'd gotten into when it came to sleeping on satin sheets) but a crumpled black Ashford Academy jacket that he'd clearly slept in.

And then it all came rushing back – the re-establishment of the contract _(I wonder if her wish has changed), _hearing Kallen again, the slightly modified battle through Shinjuku to reach Clovis _(I can't believe we almost...in a Sutherland!)_, the journey back...and Nunnally. She'd told him...

_Oh Nunnally._ Feeling tears threatening to leak out Lelouch dropped his head into his hands, breathing harsh sobs as he tried to get himself back together. He breathed in deeply, and then stood up. _I'll do it right this time. No rushing in, no overconfidence. _That gentle world could be made, but not at the same expense. Not this time.

And he wouldn't be doing it alone, not if C.C had anything to say about it. She'd been at his side through all of this, even held him as he shattered last night. Nothing more than that, nothing that they had both originally wanted to do, but most definitely what he'd really needed right then. She had stayed...and her prisoner's straight-jacket was still lying on the carpet...and there was water running somewhere. Lelouch's clever brain suddenly snapped into gear and he turned to look over at the closed door that lead to his en-suite bathroom, where he could clearly hear the shower running.

If C.C wasn't here...and the shower was running...and there was a discarded shirt lying on his desk beside his bed...Lelouch's confused expression changed to an irritated, and slightly embarrassed, glare at the door..._that evil...evil woman! _

His opinion of her didn't change as she came back out, wearing not but a towel which was wrapped around her torso, leaving her long porcelain legs out on display. The only thing that changed was that now he was pretty sure he had a nosebleed. C.C saw this and, in pure C.C character, grinned teasingly. "Well, my Emperor," she addressed, taking long leisurely steps toward him, "do I measure up to your expectations?"

_When I conquer the world again, I am going to have her in chains! _He thought to himself furiously as he felt even more blood rush to his cheeks. _No, best not. She'd probably enjoy it. Maybe I'll take away her Cheese-kun doll. She's going to save up enough coupons whether or not I try to stop her._ No that'd probably just infuriate her. _I know! No pizza for a year! That'll teach her to get me all flustered up like this with her womanly whiles._ Mind made up, he turned his head back to face her...and came face to face with a pair of very familiar mirth filled golden eyes.

"I...I'm just going to...take a shower." He stammered, tripping over his words, and nearly his legs as he quickly picked out another set of his uniform, cursing C.C as she followed him around the room, arms and shoulders drawn back, dipping forward ever so gently. Oh he'd be taking a shower all right, a very long, very cold shower. It didn't help matters that she had clearly just gotten _out _of the shower, her hair dripping wet and plastering itself to her skin, as if he needed any more help imagining what that poor excuse of a towel was hiding!

The moment he'd stumbled into the bathroom and shut the door, C.C broke into a smug grin. Yep, he was most definitely all right now. _I've still got it._ She wrinkled her nose a little as she picked up her 'clothes' though...before a truly devious grin spread across her face. _Looks like Lelouch will be buying more than just pizza this time._

Once the boy in question had showered and dressed, and she'd coaxed him out of switching between ignoring her and scowling at her, they got down to the task at hand. It was still early in the morning so they could talk openly without worrying about Nunnally overhearing them or Sayako bursting in unannounced.

After going over what they knew, it was clear that neither C.C, nor Lelouch, could come up with any explanation as to why they had come back to the beginning of their contract, nor could they figure out why it was only the two of them who had come back and not anyone else. The only thing they could agree on, or at least accept, was that their return had to have something to do with the World of C. They had witnessed it wipe away Emperor Charles and Lady Marianne, but the World of C was the will of mankind made solid. Who could say what the limits of its power held?

Determining that it was something that they couldn't deal with for the time being, lest they make Charles, or worse V.V, aware of them, Lelouch decided to focus on more immediate concerns. "I shouldn't have killed Clovis." He admitted, sitting back in his chair, "If it had been a General like Bartley or a Knight like Guildford, it wouldn't be as big a deal. Clovis was a member of the royal family and third in succession. That was obviously going to draw attention."

Tipping her head to one side, which looked particularly odd seeing as she was lying on her back, her head hanging of the end, C.C asked the question that he knew she would. "Then why did you? It's not like you to make the kind of mistake you're implying."

Sometimes, Lelouch wondered if there truly was any feeling of self-worth left in her...or if there ever had been any to start with considering the dirty little girl he remembered from her memories. Truly it would be so easy to tell her exactly why he did it this time around, to tell her that the Code-R experiment that Schneizel was funding had made him utterly nauseous and that to know she had been used as little more than a test subject, a piece of meat to be thrown away once her usefulness had dried up, had opened up a vein of fury he'd only felt a select number of times.

_Heh...I guess I really do love her. _If the realisation startled him though, if he told C.C that she was his reason for killing Clovis, potentially bringing hell-fire on everyone in Japan again, then Lelouch was not naïve enough to think that she would stay. She'd likely state that she was a distraction and try to leave...and there would be literally nothing he could do to stop her.

And so he did what he did best, adopting a considerate pose for a moment, before massaging his temples in apparent annoyance, and lied through his teeth. "Chalk it up to a mix of emotional outburst and forgetting just where I was." He shrugged at her surprised expression, knowing that she was wondering what could have broken his outstanding emotional control. Lelouch almost bit his tongue as part of him railed against the idea of keeping this to himself...but he needed her as his partner in this more than anything.

_If I tell her...she'll leave. Mao's proof of that...speaking of Mao, I ought to ascertain just who else might be listening in._ "Getting back to the job at hand," he stated, all business again, "if we're going to keep the Emperor in the dark about what I know of the Sword of Akasha, you're going to have to cut communications with Lady Marianne."

The single blink as well as the slight widening of her eyes was the only sign that this new topic was an unexpected one. To her credit, C.C didn't try to hide the fact. "And how did you figure that out?" She asked, remaining casual in stance and tone however the change in eye expression to slightly more narrow revealed her curiosity.

"My dear, dear Cera." He chuckled before leaning forward as if he was telling her this big secret...which he sort of was, he'd never told her this before. "Don't you think I took to your lodging in my room a bit too quickly?"

"As I recall you went to great pains to get me out." She replied, not missing a beat, a reminiscent smirk as the memory of that initial meeting went. "So, has my Warlock been keeping something from me?"

"My dear, the number of things I'm keeping from you is exponential." His credit cards for example. C.C may use his money for some rather odd purchases, pizza notwithstanding, but he wasn't about to risk all his bank accounts suddenly running dry. But it was high time this particular falsehood came to an end. "For the first few weeks I had you under surveillance. Everywhere you went, everything you did, I knew about. Including the times that you stopped your wandering and started talking to thin air."

"So you were spying on me?"

"I was keeping an open mind about your loyalty. You may not remember but I didn't exactly trust you."

"How could I forget?" She giggled to herself, "I thought your face was going to be set in a permanent scowl."

It had felt like that could happen sometimes, he recalled just how far she went to irritate him in the beginning...something that hadn't changed no matter how far they'd both come. Still this confession needed finishing. "Anyway, considering you'd come back to life after I saw you shot, I came to the correct conclusion that you were immortal and that you had been for some time. After factoring in the possible amount of time you may have lived, I concluded that your mental state was...questionable, but not enough to raise any alarm."

C.C chuckled wryly at that, "That must have been a joy for you. An immortal woman living in your room, who may or may not be crazy."

"It was a bit unnerving, I will admit."

"But you haven't answered the other part of my question." She pointed out, "How did you know it was your mother I was speaking to?" If she saw Lelouch flinch when she called Lady Marianne his mother, she didn't comment.

But he still answered her all the same. "At first I had no clue who you were talking to. I'd stopped watching you before Euphie announced the establishment of the SAZ. Then when you told me about V.V I assumed that was who you were in conference with and put it out of my mind. I never expected Lady Marianne," he put emphasis on that title to get his point across on what she was to him now, "to be the one you were talking to. After the Emperor told me about their plan to conquer the will of humanity, all the pieces just fell into place." The scowl, as he recalled what his parents had been planning since before his and Nunnally's birth, was hard to miss. "It was a bitter pill to swallow, but it made sense why you were so interested in me at the start."

"Clever boy." Was all she muttered in response, finally rolling over onto her front and picking herself up. "And for your information, I severed that link the moment we re-established the contract as well as my connection with V.V. He and Marianne know I've bestowed Geass upon someone, but they don't know who or even where."

Taking a moment to absorb the new information, Lelouch quickly went through the possible scenarios a change like that could have on events. Before, he knew that C.C had held regular conversations with Lady Marianne, and her now confirmed link with V.V also gave light to other possibilities. If they didn't know where to look for her, it would take substantially more time for them to realise who it was leading the rebellion. Thanks to her connection, Lelouch was almost positive that Charles had known who Zero was long before Nunnally was kidnapped. The guarantee of actual anonymity this time around would also mean that the Emperor might even start to worry about his hold here. If Japan was liberated then Charles couldn't use the door to the World of C on Kamine Island to activate the Sword of Akasha. Add in the fact that C.C was in complete opposition to the Emperor's plan this time and things might become very interesting. _Very interesting indeed._

He couldn't help the victorious grin that spread across his face as he realised just how much of an advantage he had this time. _And I haven't even gotten started yet!_

His thoughts were interrupted though by the timely buzzing of the alarm on his beside table, signalling that the time was now 6:30. It was time to get moving, but not for anything Zero-related. In some ways it was much more important. C.C saw the time as well and glanced at him knowingly. "I suppose world domination will have to wait?"

"I like to think of it as world liberation," he replied as he stood up, grabbing his school jacket and tossing it on, "but yes, it can take a back-bench for the moment. Right now, I need to get breakfast set up." It had been a while but he figured if he could take over the world then he should still be able to find his way around the kitchen. Before he left though, Lelouch turned faux-stern eyes on his partner "I don't suppose I have to tell you, but..."

"Stay here, out of Sayako's way." She repeated, the very same words he'd ordered of her before he'd realised his Geass didn't work on her. Nevertheless, C.C gave him a pathetic excuse for a bow, that damned mischievous twinkle in her eyes that just screamed that she was going to do something that was going to complicate things unnecessarily, and intoned, "Yes, my Warlock" as if he really had gotten her under his control, a feat he knew to be impossible.

Rolling his eyes fondly at her, Lelouch suddenly remembered something _very _important if he didn't want his room smelling of melted cheese when he got back. "If you're going to have pizza in here, could you please leave a window open?"

"Won't that risk me being exposed?"

"I'll risk it. My card's on the desk." The credit card to his smallest account, which was still sizeable enough that it shouldn't run dry any time soon. All the same, he entreated her "Don't go too overboard with it."

"No promises." She returned, already on her feet, the card already found and secured nice and tight in her hand...and Lelouch just knew he wouldn't be getting it back any time soon. "Have a nice day."

Deciding that he didn't want to find out if she was genuinely wishing him a good day or if that was just her brand of sarcastic charm coming to the front again, Lelouch chose to leave then and there for the good of his sanity. Honestly the woman could still drive him crazy, and not the good kind this time.

Still, she was at least honest about the chance of him returning and finding her lying beneath a leaning tower of pizza boxes in his room when he got back, a familiar Cheese-kun plushy held tightly in her arms. Shaking his head at the utterly innocent look he knew she could pull off with or without the doll, Lelouch focussed back on making his way to the dining room and the adjacent kitchen, greeting Sayako warmly as he passed her in the hallway. Although maybe he shouldn't have hugged her, the poor woman was blushing scarlet.

Shrugging the thought off, he continued on his way and soon found himself in the metallic grey surroundings of the kitchens, a stark contrast to the warm brown and lighted corridors he'd been in only a moment odd that he should find such a familiar look here in Ashford, the differences struck him in a way that they never had before. Even as Lelouch got on with preparing a proper breakfast for Nunnally he couldn't help but marvel at how he hadn't seen such a clear representation of what he had become last time. A pretty exterior with a cold interior. If he wasn't careful that could very easily happen again, all it would take would be one slip up and he may as well call Suzaku and Geass him into doing away with him.

_It's not going to happen like that though. _He assured himself again as he made his way back to the dining room, laying his sister's meal down on the round table shared by the three of them, though if Sayako was allowed to get her way she would have remained standing. It was something that, even after all this time with them, she still had to be coerced into.

Fortunately, Lelouch had the perfect weapon for each and every one of her attempts to escape them. Speaking of whom, the maid had finished helping her dress and was following behind her automated wheelchair as she entered the room.

Her hearing as good as ever, Nunnally's head turned to face him directly and she smiled at him. "Good morning, big brother." She greeted him, sweet and happy as she had ever been.

And Lelouch, starved of that smile for so long, could only manage a simple, "Morning Nunnally. I made your favourite."

* * *

**Ashford Academy  
****Student Council Building, Planning Office**

**The Warlock, the Heiress, the Crush, the other crush, and the Inventor**

Breakfast had gone well, though Lelouch suspected that Nunnally suspected him of _something. _Last time round, he'd been so wiped out from the battle in Shinjuku that he hadn't been up until nine o'clock. He'd missed his first lesson, but then at the time he'd still been trying to figure out if he really had just directed a terrorist cell into near victory against his brother's forces. He'd had to Geass a passing teacher to find out if he could still do it.

However, two years of directing soldiers on the battlefield, as well as actually taking part in the battles himself on occasion, had built up his endurance time. This time through, he hadn't even broken a sweat. The only reason he collapsed this time was because of his emotions getting the better of him.

Still the question about what to tell Nunnally was up in the air. At first he'd considered going with what he was going to tell the Council once Rivalz inevitably let it slip where they'd been the other day; gambling getting the better of him. But then she'd start poking around. Whilst Lelouch had never lied to Nunnally...at least not directly, she could often tell when he wasn't telling her something. _And isn't that just fitting? A girl who's lost her sight can see right through me. _In the end, he'd told her that he'd gotten held up in the incident at Shinjuku, which wasn't technically a lie, and that he'd been helping out a friend who'd gotten caught up in it like he had, also not entirely untrue though whether he could consider himself and Kallen friends right now was anyone's guess. Still, Nunnally's expression, while accepting, wasn't one that he'd call fully believing either. She suspected he'd been doing something but couldn't be sure of what...and it was that fact that made Lelouch realise that keeping Zero from her this time was going to be a lot harder to do, especially considering that he was going to take credit for Clovis' murder again.

That action could very well make her afraid of Zero again, not to mention he held no beliefs that he could sway Suzaku to his side unless Britannia did something truly despicable. Cornelia however was unlikely to do that, and then there was Euphie, who had figured out who he was without ever seeing his face. _Maybe she could talk to Nunnally about it, not mention any names but convince her that Zero really is acting in the people's interest. _That of course meant that he'd have to convince Euphie that Clovis' murder was justified of course and..._argh! I'm thinking too far ahead! Let's just play the game one step at a time, instead of four moves already planned, and see what happens._

With that in mind, Lelouch exited the dining room and made his way up the stairs to the Council Planning Office. As predicted, Milly had sent him a text to call for an emergency meeting. She'd railed at him last time for not checking his phone and he'd been surprised to see the text there, smiley icons and everything. This time though, he was fully awake and early so the office was empty, a first in of itself. Shrugging a little, he decided to make the most of the quiet, knowing that once Milly arrived he wouldn't have a second of silence.

_Milly...apart from Rivalz, she was the only one of us who came out of all this relatively okay. _She'd gone into journalism, landing a position as a weather girl which quickly changed to an on-scene reporter shortly before his ascension. How had she put it when she left? That she wasn't going to put off living her life anymore? Lelouch smiled a little as he remembered _that _particular day. _Here's hoping I'll be able to do the same as you one day Madame President. _

Thinking of one Student Council Member got him thinking about the others, the two girls, Nina and Shirley. One way or another, his campaign had hurt them both deeply: Though he wasn't entirely clear on the details, Nina had developed a deep seething hatred for Zero over the death of Euphemia, enough that she'd actually tried to kill him whilst they were in China. The timid, slightly xenophobic, but ultimately kind young woman had turned her genius into creating those monstrous F.L.E.I.J.A. weapons. As for Shirley...what hadn't been done to her? She lost her father at Narita because Lelouch hadn't fully calculated the range of the landslide, something he'd casually dismissed until he saw her stricken expression two days after the event. From there she'd started questioning Zero's actions, as well as started taking note of Lelouch's own absences, something that Villetta ultimately exploited to learn Zero's identity and rise into the ranks of nobility. The manipulations didn't stop there though, Mao used Shirley to draw him and C.C out, sending her so over the fence that Lelouch had been forced to take away not only her memories of Zero, but all her memories of him as well. In effect, Shirley and he never met. If only that were the worst of it though...thanks to Jeremiah she got her memories back, of him, Zero...and Nunnally. She only revealed that she knew all of this to the wrong person. _She always was too trusting. _Her trust and kind nature got her killed.

_I can't let it happen again. _Lelouch thought to himself grimly, _Not just for my own sake, but if Nina goes down the same path as she did before...too many innocent people were killed with that first F.L.E.I.J.A. If those things are completed there's no stopping them. _And as for Shirley...that one was personal. _She never did anything to deserve what was done to her. We all messed with her mind. Villetta, Mao, me, Jeremiah...and she still wanted to help me._

He would have reminisced further but he was stopped as the office door opened and the very people he was thinking about stepped in, gossiping amongst themselves, likely about whatever new 'event' their busty blonde President had in mind. The chatter stopped though when they saw him sat down at the table, relaxed, and here _before _them.

"Hey, guys." He waved at them lazily, "What took you so long?"

The four of them stared at him stupidly for a moment, before Rivalz finally broke the silence. "L-lelouch? What're you doing here?"

"Well," he shrugged, "I am the Council Vice-President. Shouldn't I be here for meetings?"

For some reason that got even more startled expressions from the lot of them before Milly broke away from them all and started looking him over, feeling his brow, checking his eyes, and other such things. "Are you all right?" She asked him, patting his cheeks a couple of times, before tugging at them to see if the face would come off. "Did you eat something weird yesterday? Any stomach pains?"

_Does a sword through the gut count?_

"It must be a mask!" Rivalz shouted, running over and starting to pull none too gently at his hair, "No way our Lelouch would be here on time, let alone _before us!"_

That set off the others, though Nina was a bit more restrained simply making a few suggestions but you could tell that she was enjoying herself from the small smile she was failing to hide behind her pile of books. Shirley was a lot louder though, asking any question under the moon. "Are you all right? Is there something bothering you? Is Nunnas okay? Do we need to call a doctor?!"

"GUYS!" By now the funny had gone out of the situation for Lelouch, who had now been prodded, poked, tugged, squeezed, and if Milly's look was anything to go by she was ready to do far more invasive things to him. _That's what I get for trying to be punctual. _Pushing Rivalz off of him, he waited until everyone was a good distance away from him and patted himself down. "I am perfectly fine. There is nothing wrong with me, or Nunnally, and no Rivalz I am not Sayako running around wearing a voice-altering mask." Honestly what was wrong with him being on time? The four other Student Councillors looked at him again in disbelief, Milly rolling up the paper in her other hand, getting ready to whack him with it should he actually turn out to be someone else in a mask. _Time to divert! _"Anyway, I got the distress call and saw the Prez Signal in the sky. What's the trouble?"

His tactic worked and Milly quickly snapped back to what they should be focussing on. "Oh, it's a disaster! The clubs' activities budgets are all a mess and I've got the Equestrian club knocking down my door. We need work out a way to balance the budgets out before the end of the day or we're all sacked!"

Why she thought she wasn't ready to face the world, he wasn't quite sure..._oh that's right, because she procrastinates about everything! She makes Elizabeth I seem quick when it comes to decision making!_ What he remembered of this 'crisis', the budget's balance had been in a state for more than a fortnight. He'd brought it up to her but she'd just waved it off and now it came to bite her in the ass.

"What?!" Shirley exclaimed, wide-eyed, "When did the budget get so bad? And why do we only have a day?"

"Yeah Prez!" Rivalz backed her up, just as alarmed "Why are we only hearing about this now?"

Uttering a long suffering sigh, that wasn't nearly half as faked as he thought he'd need it to be, Lelouch answered before their President could save herself, "Because she figured that we could put it off until it was a 'necessary worry' I think were her words." Fixing her with an annoyed glare he continued, "I told you the balance was going too far our way, Milly. It was already a necessary worry!"

The blonde just shrugged with an unrepentant smile and a little wink, "Guess I was a little distracted." She retorted, her gaze a little too interested in her Vice-President.

_Is she checking me out again? _A quick double-check of her attention confirmed that._ Oh for crying out loud! _Lelouch was more than aware of his status as one of the academy's most desired, for his manners and charming nature. It had been the cause of more than one problem for him all through his tenure at Ashford, he even suspected there was a fanclub hiding out somewhere, its President and Vice-President hidden within the ranks of other groups. Aside from Shirley, he didn't know who else to suspect. Until now.

_All right then Madame President, _he decided, a perfectly charming smile overtaking his face, _if you want to play it that way..._He responded to her flirty wink by blowing her a kiss, and laughed internally as the unflappable Milly Ashford turned a pleasant pink.

If they'd chosen to look at the others, they would have noticed that Rivalz jaw was broken seeing as it had hit the floor and Shirley's mouth was clamped shut to refrain from screaming. Nina's reaction to the Vice-President's unusual behaviour was more controlled, but she blinked more than a few times than usual; for her that was pretty much on par with the reactions of the other two.

Lelouch only had a short while to revel in his victory though because Milly, still blushing furiously, quickly retaliated in the form of whacking his head with the rolled up paper. "Instead of pointing out what is wrong with the situation, Mr Pod-Person, how about you think of a way to fix it!" Her reaction snapped the rest of the Council out of their surprise and soon the once tidy Council table was soon strewn with papers as Shirley and Rivalz dropped into a chair each, sending their notes and utilities everywhere, whilst Nina took her usual seat by the computer and started typing away at her little pet project.

Rolling his eyes at the President's actions, Lelouch turned back to his seat, "Sure thing, but did you really have to hit me?" He made a show of rubbing his poor head.

But all he got for his pain was Rivalz reading his lines off the same script as last time, "It serves you right," he stated smugly, "that's what you get for ditching me like that."

"Rivalz's right," Shirley agreed, her lecturing tone in place, "what was up with you yesterday?"

_Well I was going to change things..._he considered, _might as well start here. _"Well, seeing as Rivalz hasn't told you I guess I will. I got caught up in that scuffle at Shinjuku." It was still too early in the day for any of them to have seen the news about the 'poison gas' so maybe Lelouch could sew some seeds of doubt about the empire. As expected, the three sat around the table looked back at him non-plussed. "You didn't see it on the news?" He asked them, pretending to be confused, "I would've thought it would've been all over the airwaves."

"Lulu..." Shirley started worriedly, "all that was on the news was traffic hold ups."

"Yes, but did they say why the traffic was held up?" He asked them all in general, knowing the answer but hoping that it would get them thinking. "Did they say anything about terrorists or a battle in the Shinjuku ghetto?" They just shook their heads at him, though there was a growing look of concern in their eyes as he went on. "Nothing about poison gas?"

"Wait, was that what was in that truck?" Rivalz suddenly blurted out, getting the attention of the girls, even Nina's gaze glancing their way.

"Rivalz!" Shirley shouted, reaching and smacking the back of his head "You didn't say anything about poison gas! What if Lulu had set it off?! What were you thinking leaving him alone?!" Before he could defend himself, she abandoned him and turned back to Lelouch. "You're okay, right? I mean you weren't hurt or anything?"

Amused at her antics, Lelouch had to take a moment to keep himself from chuckling outright, knowing that would get him a slap as well, before answering. "I'm fine Shirley, I kept myself hidden until the terrorists had gone, then ran for the command centre." That was sort of the truth after all.

"You were in the _terrorists' truck?!" _Shirley cried, "Are you insane?! What were you thinking?"

"Hah, I bet he wasn't thinking at all!" Rivalz laughed, grinning at Lelouch knowingly, "He sees a truck go flying into a building and he has to check it out."

That was actually a lot closer to the truth than he realised, Lelouch really hadn't known what he was doing other than trying to see if the people in there were okay. He never could've dreamed what that spur-of-the moment decision would lead to. Of course the four who were now looking at him like he was either a returning war hero (Rivalz), an unlucky adventurer (Milly), or just plain nuts weren't in the least bit interested in what had actually transpired in the ghetto. "Hey!" Rivalz realised, "That means you must've seen the terrorists while you were there."

"Well..." It couldn't hurt, it wasn't like he was going to name names "yeah I did."

"You..." the timid little voice by the computer caught his attention and he turned to look at Nina who was regarding him with fearful eyes "You were that close to Elevens?"

_Right, scared of them. _Lelouch frowned, he wasn't quite sure how he was going to fix that right now. He'd probably have to work with Suzaku once he was enrolled in the academy to fix that. But that didn't mean he couldn't try. "They aren't a number, Nina, they're Japanese. People like you and me."

"But they..."

"Did absolutely nothing to me," he interrupted firmly, before adding spitefully, "I can't say the same for our great Britannian military."

"What do you mean?" Rivalz asked, now firmly interested. "What did they do?"

But Lelouch shook his head, while the people around him were his friends he would rather their innocence stay intact a bit longer. The only one of their group besides himself who knew just how twisted Britannia could be was Milly, whose family lost quite a bit after Lady Marianne's 'death.' The others weren't ready to know yet. Still, the seeds had hopefully been planted. Come the time, maybe he could rely on them to cooperate with him and the Black Knights. If not...he'd just leave them out of it.

The office was now full of a dreary tension, first from his startling reveal that there had been a battle in the ghetto, as well as the possibility that Lelouch could've been killed hanging over them. Then there was his calling Nina out. Lelouch knew that, until that moment, he'd never really mentioned anything about the treatment about the Japanese by Britannia. He could see the question running through all their minds: What had happened out there? And he had the answer: More than they could have ever imagined.

It was, unsurprisingly, Milly, who got them back on track, "Well, thrilling as Lelouch's little adventure is, that doesn't help our current financial crisis!" And like that, the tension was gone and Rivalz and Shirley were back to trying to make heads or tails out of the mess their President had gotten them into this time. "If we don't figure something out soon..."

"Yeah, yeah, we get it," Rivalz chuckled, waving her off "if we don't the Equestrian Club will crash through the window on horseback, demanding we pay up." His reward for his smart remark was a rolled up paper to his blue head...just as a horse and his rider trotted by suspiciously. "Aww geez! C'mon Prez, lighten up. I'm just saying we can get round to this later when we're focussed, can't we?"

_Oh man, _Lelouch knew that look in Milly's eyes and quickly plugged his ears in preparation, _he really needs to learn when to give up. _Sure enough, the office was soon echoing with Milly Ashford's own brand of 'magic.'

"GUTS!"

Once he was sure that she'd gotten her 'magic spell' out of her system, he pulled his fingers out of his ears, grimacing a little at her. "Milly, I appreciate you wanting us to work hard on this, but do you really have to deafen us in the process?"

"Do not insult the power of Guts!" She returned enthusiastically, "It's gotten us out of scrapes before and it can do it again!"

"You're right Madame President!" Shirley agreed energetically, wide-eyed determination there for all to see, "It's got me going, so I know we can beat this problem!"

_And here comes the 'ten' line. _Lelouch thought to himself as he spotted their rather outgoing President's enthusiasm turn into a very sly smirk. "Supple _and _willing." She noted of the innocent ginger "I like that."

Completely oblivious to Milly's double-entendre, Shirley nodded proudly, "You know it!" She pumped her fist out in emphasis, "I train damn hard in the Gymnastics Club!"

"That's not what I meant," the blonde told her, lecherous eyes sliding down her blazer to a specific area. "You're a ten. Or at least that's from what I've seen in the girl's bathroom anyway."

Was it wrong that he was really enjoying watching Milly work her stuff on poor Shirley? If it was then come his rise to power he'd remember to change that first. This was too damn funny, and going from Rivalz's chuckle it would seem his part-time gambling chauffeur agreed with him.

It was impossible to tell what Nina thought of it all, but Shirley's response was all too clear as she covered up her chest, her cheeks burning a very nice pink, and glared at their daring President. "What're you talking about you perv?!" She demanded, though the anger kind of lost itself in her own embarrassment.

"Oh come on, Shirley," Lelouch decided to pipe up before Milly. "All she's saying is that you've been filling out quite nicely, it's not like she's the only one who's noticed." It was true, he remembered seeing more than one boy turn his head to admire Shirley's athletic figure, as well as the more than one death glares sent his way by those same boys seeing as it seemed he was the only one she wanted to spend time with.

"Lulu!" The high pitched hysterical cry of the girl in question brought him out of his memories, Shirley's cheeks had gone from pink to glaring red. "What the hell are you talking about?"

He shrugged, adding in a teasing smile of his own to rival Milly's, although he suspected it was nothing like C.C's "I'm just telling it like it is. Milly's not the only one who can appreciate a pretty girl is she?"

As red went to scarlet, Lelouch turned back to the rest of the Council. Rivalz was staring at him bug-eyed, and even Nina's eyes were a little wider than usual...she'd even stopped her typing and was actually assessing him. The only one who didn't seem perturbed by his attitude was Milly, who's smile mirrored his own, but even her eyes held a little bit of amazement. Did Lelouch Lamperouge, resident Prince Charming and simultaneous Mr Cold-Shoulder, just make a pass at Shirley?

Glad for their silence, Lelouch suddenly 'just' remembered that he had something to give them and picked up his school bag. Flicking it open, he pulled out a stack of papers and laid it out for Milly. "Emergency Budget Balancing papers." He explained. "Just in case something like this happened."

To her credit, all she did was raise an eyebrow, as if she'd been expecting him to pull something like that, and folded her arms. Rivalz however just moaned in annoyance as he stared at the sheets he'd been working on and the nice tidy pile the Vice-President had just handed to Milly as if it was nothing. Nina had gone back to her work and so had no comment to make, and poor Shirley was trying very hard to cool her now scarlet cheeks down before she fainted from Milly and Lelouch's tag-team.

"Well then, if that's everything." Lelouch closed his bag up and got out of his chair, "I'll see you all in class."

He left behind him four very startled friends staring after him as if he was a different person from the bored gambling young man they'd known only the day before. Oh how right they were. He was a different man completely, and he was all the better for it.

Also, it was just so much fun.

* * *

**On a side note, I'd like to thank all the readers who've already left reviews. Special mention goes out to **Roaming Traveler **and **Skylark360 **for giving me their honest opinions on my chapters and not being afraid to point out what I did wrong or what I ought to consider. Thanks a bunch, keep up the good work. Remember it takes two things to make a writer: An idea, and someone to tell you you're messing it up. I supply the idea, you point out when I mess up.**


	5. Turn 4 Changing the Script

**Sorry about the brief halt, the internet broke down. I also needed to do a bit of research regarding Kallen's personal background. When I found out there wasn't much, aside from her brother's death and her relationship with her father being a good one, I decided 'screw it, I'm gonna make up my own.' Going by her character, I think I've got it right but tell me if it seems off.  
****Certain aspects of her backstory may come into play later on in the story, but not for a while so don't pester me for it.**

**Oh, also to the early readers of chapter 3 (i.e. those who read it on 19/5 when it first came out), I've redone it so you can enjoy a proper chapter this time rather than that horseshit I gave you. So...go enjoy.  
****Anyhoo, disclaimer is on the prologue. Murder of admins is apparently a criminal offence, who knew? Let's go.**

* * *

**Chapter 4  
****Changing the Script**

**Ashford Academy  
****Advanced Mathematics Classroom 3-A**

**The Warlock**

The first time Lelouch saw the broadcast about Shinjuku, he'd been indifferent to everything other than the fact that Clovis had been found dead in his own command centre had been covered up. Back then all he'd cared about was bringing down Britannia, even if he had to do it one Royal at a time until the Emperor himself had to step in. Now though, he felt a vicious rise of anger at the way the media was twisting the facts. They were reporting that the alleged poison gas had actually been used in the Shinjuku ghetto, killing Britannian soldiers and Japanese civilians alike. There was of course no mention of Sutherlands suddenly going rogue and the Lancelot having to be deployed, after all they couldn't afford to look like they had been losing.

_Clovis ordered the massacre of civilians and now the media covers it up...I think Zero might have something to say about that, Jeremiah._

Speaking of Orange Boy, he was probably trying to put together a case that would incriminate Suzaku right this very moment. To be honest it was a clever move if you agreed with the Pureblood view on things: Incriminate the Honorary Britannian soldier and more people with similar Pureblood ideals would flock to the cause. _In fact, didn't that one German party __something similar __back in 1988? __Their house of parliament burnt down and they used it to quell __the Marxist movement __in their government__._ It had almost worked too had it not been for the EU's leading government stepping in and bringing the party's leader up front with charges of grievous misconduct.

_I bet Jeremiah wouldn't like being compared to some EU politician. _He thought with a smirk, considering the idea of changing his nickname before shaking his head. Orange was too much fun to pass up, not to mention he loved it when the Margrave got all fidgety over the title, as if he was trying to decide what was more important – his loyalty to Lady Marianne's children, or his dignity. Three guesses to which one always won out.

Still, none of that changed what he was seeing for the second time and with wiser eyes. Unfortunately he was the only one who could see it. Snorting in disgust he stomped over to his seat and sat down, getting out his equipment so it at least looked like he was working. He glanced up once at Shirley, now fully recovered from his little bit of fun early though she turned a bit pink when she realised he was looking her way, and Rivalz who looked on with envious eyes at the girl's reaction to a mere glance, then went back to his bag.

This time he pulled out an A4 sketchpad, as well as several different artist pencils and a rubber and pencil sharpner, and then started flicking through the pages until he landed on one particular sheet, a very familiar face looking back at him. As he told C.C, Zero would have always eventually happened, being the centrepiece of his entire operation. The costume, the cape, even the mask with it's voice modulator and tinted glass front had already been designed, and then redesigned as he grew and gained...or mostly just lost muscle build. Nevertheless, he still had to make one adjustment to the mask to accommodate his new ability. It would be a rough job, but he had the final cleaned up digital look saved to his computer so all he needed to do was work on what he already had.

And so, as the maths teacher at the front droned on about stuff he'd mastered five years ago, Lelouch added the finishing touches to the first Black Knight.

He became so engrossed in getting the finite details done that he nearly missed the bell that signified the end of the class. Fortunately he was quick enough to get the sketch pad back in his bag, along with all his other utilities, before anyone noticed that he hadn't written a single thing down and was all set to go when a random girl who's name he couldn't remember called out to her friend.

"Kallen!"

Immediately his gaze snapped up and he found himself staring. How hadn't he seen her come in? There sat, three rows up and four seat across, Kallen Kozuki...or rather Kallen Stadtfelt as she was pretending to be right now. Frail, soft-spoken, and hair flat, she didn't look anything like the fiery woman who he knew was lurking behind that disguise. _She must hate acting so weak. _Lelouch thought to himself, wondering how she could still bear coming back to this place where everyone she spoke to was a potential future enemy.

How should he play it this time? _I could bring her into the fold ahead of the other Knights...no that would cause problems with people like Tamaki and might even result in an even earlier revolt. I could tell her I was there at Shinjuku...but then I'd have to explain how I knew what she looked like, and that's a sure fire way to get my throat slit.__ Hmm...what about..._

And then inspiration hit him. _Oh that's good...that's masterful..._As the idea firmly set itself in his mind, Lelouch let a self-congratulatory smirk bloom across his lips. That would work, and it would also have the benefit of the two of them not having to pretend as much. If this worked then, even when she wasn't working with Zero, she'd still be working with _him. _It would need timing and the right place, but he was pretty sure that if he handled this right, Kallen would not only trust Zero, she'd grow to trust Lelouch as well.

As with last time, his observation of the sickly rich girl didn't go unnoticed by Rivalz who leaned over and tapped him on the shoulder, "What's up there buddy? See something you like?"

He glanced at the bluenette with a semi-annoyed glance before turning his attention back to her. "Just thinking about how we're a little understaffed at the moment and that we could do with a few extra hands on deck."

"Don't let Milly catch you saying that," Rivalz warned him, "she'll throw a Pirate party just because you made a suggestion. But if you're talking about extra help, I guess the rich girl would be good for it."

"Rich girl?" He asked, keeping the ignorant pretence up.

"Dude, you don't know? That's Kallen Stadtfelt, heiress of the Stadtfelt family. They're big on the political scene, her dad lives in the capital. But see that's not the truly amazing thing about her. What's really amazing is her grades. She's got some kind of chronic illness or something, no-one's really sure what it is, but she has to take a lot of time off school because of it, last year she almost didn't show up at all. And yet she's at the top of her class despite that."

"You know all that right off the top of your head?" Lelouch couldn't help it, that was impressive of Rivalz. It sort of, annoyingly, reminded him of Diethard. An opportunistic defector he may be, but that man had been organised. It was him after all who turned the rag tag Black Knights into an organised military force.

The bluenette just shrugged, "I'm the Student Council Secretary. It's my job to know everything about everyone who may want to put a suggestion forward to the Council. You could say I'm the guy who keeps the rest of you afloat." Then his expression turned sly and he couldn't help nudging him in that 'you dog you' way. "So is that it? Is that why you've been acting so different? You planning to woo the lovely lady there?"

"What're you talking about?" Now he truly was confused.

"Oh c'mon! That little play-by with the Prez, and then you pretty much burned Shirley's face off." Rivalz smirked, "You're practising for when you make your big move, aren't you? C'mon, you can tell me. A bit on the wimpy side though, but hey, whatever floats your boat."

"It's not like that!" Whilst he admitted he wouldn't mind spending more time with Kallen, Lelouch was not about to chance losing C.C. _Then again, Cera's been around for ages, _a particularly devious side of himself pointed out, _are you sure she wouldn't be against the idea of a menage-a-trois? _And now he had images of himself, C.C and Kallen doing...well it would seem he was still a teenager after all because what he imagined was him not doing anything, and Kallen and C.C doing_ everything..._with each other.

_Damn teenage hormones!_

Still though, he had to admit that Rivalz was at least partially right.

Kallen Stadtfelt...meek, quiet, unnoticed, frail. There was nothing enticing about her...but Kallen Kozuki...brash, wilful, headstrong, powerful, beautiful.

_Oh yes. _He definitely saw something he liked there. In the mask of Kallen Stadtfelt, Lelouch Lamperouge saw his Queen.

* * *

**Ashford Academy  
****Courtyard**

**The Red Queen**

_I fucking _hate _this! _Was the mantra that was running through Kallen's mind right now as she sat in the courtyard listening to the group of idiotic Britannian girls blabber and gossip around her. Why the hell had Ohgi insisted that she come back here when she could be helping in the resistance in the ghettos? There was no place here for her, not amongst these arrogant, stuck up morons whose only ambitions in life was to finish school and then put out for the first rich old fart that took an interest in her. She'd rebelled against that long before she ever fired a gun, and she'd keep rebelling against that sick attitude right up to the moment some Knightmare pilot got lucky enough to take her out. Something that almost happened yesterday.

_Is that why he sent me back here? Because I almost died? _The idea alone that Ohgi thought she couldn't handle herself almost caused her to stand up and scream, something that frail, pathetic Kallen Stadtfelt would never do if she didn't want to start up another coughing fit. Who did that guy think he was, her dad? She'd been taking care of herself just fine for a long time now. _God, he always gets like this whenever I get so much as a scratch! I know he misses Naoto as well and that he wishes I wouldn't keep helping out, but he needs me! Who else can pilot that Glasgow? Tamaki? He barely lasted a second against that white thing yesterday._

Just thinking about that machine though gave her chills. That Zero guy sure knew what he was talking about when he told them to pull back, that thing put the 'nightmare' into Knightmare Frame. It had moved so fast, faster than any other model she had ever seen. Tamaki wasn't the only one to get caught in it's path though...he was just the only one who got out of there alive. After they'd gotten topside a lot of the others wanted to go back and take that thing out. Ohgi had warned them against it, told them Zero had said not to go after them, but they didn't listen.

"Why should we listen to a guy who doesn't even show his face?" One of them had asked before charging off back into the fight. The others who wanted to go back agreed with that stance and had taken their Sutherland's back into the battle as well.

Not a single one of them came back, the white Knightmare tore them apart without any kind of effort. One second it was there in front of them, the next it had torn of the top half of one Sutherland and had fired its four slash-harkens into the two flanking units. The three Sutherlands collapsed in heaps of junk, only one of which was able to eject its cockpit. The next two to fall were taken out old school...after it had displayed its ability to reflect bullets with some sort of light shield installed in its forearms.

After that massacre, the remaining fighters tried to surround it but the damn thing was too fast and agile, slipping through alleys too tight for a Sutherland to manage. It came out from behind and then proceeded to pick each and every one of the Knightmares off as if they were nothing. The only reason the white machine hadn't gone after them was because Ohgi had been smart enough to know they'd be an open target in the Sutherlands and so gave the order to abandon them. Even the Glasgow was finished, not that Kallen would've stood a chance against that thing with such an old machine anyway.

It was as they were sneaking away to a new rendezvous point that Kallen had witnessed something truly amazing. The white Knightmare had been chasing down the remaining few Sutherlands who were shooting down the ghetto walls in order to slow it down. That was what stopped her, but that wasn't what had surprised her. In fact, Kallen had been downright furious with them. What were they thinking? Hadn't the city been destroyed enough by the Britannians? Clearly not, as the Sutherlands kept shooting the walls down, and the white Knightmare kept evading the debris with what seemed inhumanly possible accuracy. And then she heard the scream. Looking up, she'd been horrified to see a woman falling out of one of the destroyed walls, clutching bundle close to her which Kallen had realised was the woman's child. She'd just stood there, petrified as she watched the body fall, waiting for it to go splat on the concrete floor below.

And then a grey hand had come out of nowhere and met the woman in mid-flight. It was the white Knightmare. Kallen had been completely stunned; a Britannian pilot willing to protect a Japanese civilian, an 'Eleven?'

_The pilot's a noble sort, _Zero had said. She'd thought he meant that the pilot was one for appearances, that he didn't want to look bad on the battlefield, the white-and-gold paint job of the Knightmare only seeming to reinforce that idea. Turned out Zero had meant the pilot was the other kind of noble, the one that actually meant something. The white Knightmare didn't believe in civilian casualties.

_I wonder what the pilot made of the order to kill all the civilians. _Kallen wondered to herself as she came back to the present, taking a neatly cut sandwich out of her packed lunch, her mind racing over the possibilities. She'd never seen a pilot act like that, for them it was shoot anyone and everyone, at least that had always been her experience with Britannian pilots, they didn't care who they gunned down so long as they killed someone. Shinjuku was proof of that.

_Bastards. _She bit into the sandwich a little too hard. _They murder all those innocent people and then have the nerve to pin it on us?! _She'd seen the T.V. Broadcast, heard what the reports were saying, and all of it just pissed her off. _If I ever get my hands on that Clovis, I'll..._

Speaking of Clovis, what was up with that order he gave at the end? He'd been so determined to wipe them out, so why did he order a ceasefire? Had they found the container? Was it back in their possession? _If so then Nagata died for nothing! _She thought angrily, taking care not to let it show on her face, though her chewing was a bit more forced.

And then there was Zero. Just what sort of title was that anyway? Who was he? Kallen wasn't sure why but she could've sworn she'd heard that voice somewhere before. A nagging sensation in the back of her head told her that she should be able to put, maybe not a name, but at least a face to the voice. But there hadn't been a battle going on and, after he gave her his name, there hadn't been any further contact with their mysterious saviour. Tamaki, idiot that he was, put it all down to coincidence that the guy was so good, even the deployment of that white terror, and that he'd used the confusion to make a run for it. After some...correction of his attitude, as well as a reminder that it was him who didn't follow orders and was therefore partially responsible for the slaughter that followed, Kallen spent a while trying to figure out where Zero could've gone. He'd been in a Pureblood's machine so it wasn't like the paint job wouldn't have stuck out, but once the white machine appeared there'd been no sign of that Sutherland. A small part of her wondered if the reason behind that was because his machine was the first to be taken out, but she quickly dismissed that idea. He'd managed to stay hidden throughout the battle and still managed to give them accurate battle data, he wasn't about to get caught.

All the same, Ohgi had told her to forget about it. They got out alive, that was what mattered. And then he told her to go to school, pulling out the 'Naoto Would've Wanted It' card when she tried to refuse. Which brought her back to where she was now, with a head full of questions and patience that was about to snap if someone didn't do something about these Britannian idiots!

"Hello ladies."

_Zero?! _

Snapping her head up in surprise, Kallen's hopefulness was immediately crushed. The only person there was a lean raven haired Britannian boy, smiling lazily at the four of them. _God, saved by a guy once and now I'm looking for him everywhere! _And would you look at that, the girls were now looking up expectantly of him. Well at least some good came of this kid coming over, he was keeping them occupied. _Maybe now I can slip away at last._

"Hi Lelouch!" One of the girls greeted, smiling up at him "Did you need something?"

The boy shrugged, scratching the back of his head as if he was embarrassed about something, "Well that's the thing, this guy just stopped me in the hallway, said he had a message for a girl." He chuckled a little bit at the odd request, "She must be an RPG nut because he said the girl would only respond to the name Q-1."

_What?! _Her gaze shot right back up at him, fear nearly burning her unwanted but need disguise away as she recognised her codename from Shinjuku. How could he know about it? _Unless he actually is... _There was only one way to find out.

"Um..." She spoke up faintly, sickly guise in place though she was loath to keep it, "is this about that thing that happened the other day?" Kallen pointedly ignored the surprise of the girls around her as they snapped back round to face her.

The boy – Lelouch – seemed to relax a bit at her admittance, "Ah finally," he let out a breath of relief, "you know how many girls I've had to ask for this guy? Couldn't you have chosen a name that stood out a bit more?"

_Does he actually think this is some sort of game? _She thought to herself incredulously as she listened to him prattle on. _Is this guy actually connected to Zero or is he just making noise? Oh well, nothing ventured..._ Kallen shrugged defensively and put on a slightly annoyed pout. "I thought it was pretty good. Short and easy to remember."

"Hey, not that I have a problem with it." Lelouch raised his hands in surrender at her tone, stilling grinning like an idiot. "When you're stuck at home all the time with nothing to do, I guess you'd have to do something to relieve the stress."

_Oh, I relieve stress all right. Kicking Britannian ass in a Knightmare is a great way to get all the knots loose. _However, the way he'd stressed the word 'something' in his speech made her pause and consider him again. Everything he'd said had another meaning, his question about the codename, the mention of a message, his allusion to her being up to something whilst she wasn't in school. Whatever this boy was up to, he knew something about her that the others in this school didn't and she had to find out what.

Fortunately, Lelouch then gave her the perfect opening to work with. "The guy's a paranoid freak, wouldn't even tell me what the message was. He just handed me this," he held out a mobile phone "and then he skedaddled."

The reveal of the phone though caught Kallen's interest completely, because the caller ID was something very familiar. Simple and to the point, it was listed as only '0'. _He does know something!_

Packing her lunch away, Kallen made a show of making an effort to stand up before facing Lelouch fully. "Could we talk about this in private? I think I know who you're talking about now."

To his credit, if he knew anything about what was going on, Lelouch didn't show any traces of fear or surprise. He simply nodded, the same careless smile not wavering for a moment, and lead her away from the three dumbfounded spectators. However, once they were out of sight from the people in the courtyard, his entire demeanour suddenly changed. The smile slipped away from his lips and his eyes narrowed into something far less innocent than the attitude of a schoolboy. Glancing sharply at her, he gave her one crisp order. "Don't say a word." And all Kallen could do was obey.

She stayed silent, mostly out of shock, until they reached an empty classroom. Once Lelouch had checked to make sure they were alone, he turned back to face her. "You need to work on your disguise." He informed her bluntly, "If you're going to masquerade as a sick girl, you can't afford to give yourself away every time someone mentions something unexpected."

_Give myself away?! Who the hell is this guy? _Still, best keep up appearances, "I-I don't know what you mean." She told him, which wasn't all the way false, what was he on about? No-one had seen through her before.

"Yes you do." He shot back, violet eyes gouging into her, as if she could see what she was hiding. "The problem with having two names is, eventually the other one inevitability comes up." Then his lips turned up, although it wasn't the same carefree grin from before. This smile was more akin to a serpent that had its prey all wrapped up, and she was the tasty mouse. "It takes a liar to know a liar, Ms Stadtfelt..." The viper struck "or do you prefer Ms Kozuki?"

What happened next was a flurry of speed, she wasn't quite sure what happened either – only that the sound of _that_ name coming from a stranger's lips had set off danger warnings, and Kallen suddenly had Lelouch against the wall. Delving into her blazer pocket she pulled out her pink pouch and sprang the hidden knife, holding the blade up against his neck. "How do you know that name?!" She demanded of him, all pretences forgotten as Kallen Kozuki came out at last with vengeance. To her further irritation and confusion, Lelouch just chuckled. "I wouldn't find my predicament funny if I were in your shoes." She snapped.

"I'm sorry," he apologised, still calm and cool as a cucumber, "it's just that he said you had a temper. Looks like he was being smart after all. Ah well, I guess that's why he's in charge and I'm just the school rat."

"He?"

"The guy who's calling you." Lelouch held up the mobile phone that was still in his hand, the '0' Caller ID also still flashing on the front, only now it was vibrating indicating an incoming call. "He must either really like me, or I'm just that lucky."

_Going by your attitude, I'm gonna guess the latter. _Kallen thought ruefully, snatching the phone away from him and flicking it open. _This had better be who I think it is, or else I'm going to be very annoyed. _She hit the 'accept call' button and held the phone up to her ear. "Hello?"

"I'll thank you not to kill Mr Lamperouge, Q-1," A familiar authoritative voice rumbled out of the speaker, though there was a touch of amusement in there as well "he is a bit of an annoying sort but he has his uses. In any case it's good to see that you're still alive."

_Zero! _This was him all right, calm, collected, and though he wasn't in the room with them, in command. "Who are you?" Kallen asked sharply, "Were you behind the ceasefire in Shinjuku?"

"It is not about who I am, Kallen Kozuki, but what I do that defines me" was the roundabout reply that only sought to vex her even further – _two _people knew who she was? But Zero wasn't finished yet, "To that end, I would like to invite you and some of your friends to a tour of the city. In three days time at 16:00, you will meet your friends at Tokyo Tower. Once you have all met up you will board the outbound train on the Fifth Circinate Line. Bring only those that you trust, and no more than four including yourself. Any more than that and I'll assume you're attempting to silence me."

He was coming to the end of his instructions and, if this was anything like his orders at Shinjuku, the moment he was finished he'd hang up. "Wait!" Kallen ordered, "You still haven't answered anything! How'd you get our frequency? How do you know my name?"

"Mr Lamperouge will be my liaison whilst you are enrolled at Ashford Academy." Zero spoke over her as if her words were nothing, "He's not much of a fighter but his knack for gathering information has proved invaluable to me."

_Him?! _She looked back at the calm Britannian boy who was still as relaxed as ever even with a knife to his throat. _He wants me to work with this guy? _"I know you inherently mistrust Britannians," again Zero's voice redirected her attention, "but you'll find that his hatred for his own country burns brighter than ours. If you wish to know, have a conversation with his sister."

"That doesn't tell me a thing!" She pretty much yelled into the speaker. However she needn't have bothered as there was a click and then all that followed was a long droning...the bastard had hung up on her. "Hey! Don't thing you can get rid of me like that!" She hit the redial and held the phone to her ear again.

_'The number you are trying to reach has been disconnected.'_

_What the hell?! _

"He disconnect the phone?" Lelouch asked her from where he was standing, eyebrow raised in a knowing manner. "He likes doing that, says it makes him more mysterious." He rolled his eyes at the antics of their mutual acquaintance, "If you ask me, I just think he's compensating for something...by the way are you gonna put that away?"

Noting he was nodding at the blade, Kallen frowned. He was so laid back, yet Zero claimed this was his inside man? _If that's the case he's either amazing, desperate, or this is all a hoax. _On the other hand, Lelouch had spoken a name that someone like him shouldn't have cared to know, and he had said it in a manner that he'd known it for a while now rather than if it had just been handed to him. Something had to have changed for him to reveal his knowledge to her. At last she relented, taking her hand away from his throat and stowing the knife-concealing pouch back in her pocket, however she kept him boxed in.

"He says he wants me to work with you." Her tone expressed exactly what she thought of the idea, "I however am not convinced that you're any use at all."

But he just nodded, as if that didn't bother him at all, "Yeah, you'd be pretty stupid to just take his word for it. But then," his light expression suddenly darkened a little, "Zero doesn't waste his time with stupid people."

_Then why is he working with you? _"You wanna prove you're useful? Tell me all about..." what else could she really think about on the spot but "me."

He didn't look at all surprised by her request, in fact he looked a bit disappointed. "Is that all? I thought you'd give me challenge but all right." Clearing his throat a little bit, Lelouch closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, they were focussed and informative, "Let's start with Kallen Stadtfelt first. You were born on the fifteenth of February, 2000 a.t.b, to the Earl Stadtfeld and his wife. When you were ten your father decided to migrate to Area Eleven as he saw it as a potential source of new business, however when he arrived it turned out that Mt Fuji was still very much in the hands of the Sumeragi family thanks to their deal with the Empire to supply their military with Sakuridite. With nothing left for him here, your father chose to return to Pendragon however he left you and your mother in the Settlement so he could play politics without worrying about a 'political incident' which in polite circles means he suspected certain members of the Nobility were planning his assassination. In his absence your mother took up the family name in order to put you through a decent school, hence you were enrolled to Ashford Academy. Unfortunately for you it would seem there are certain flora and fauna in Area Eleven that aren't present in the homeland that your immune system hasn't developed a resistance to yet and since you've always been of a...delicate condition, you developed a case of chronic bronchitis. Not so bad that it was life threatening, but still serious enough that you have to take weeks, sometimes even months, off to recover from coughing spasms."

Pausing to take another breath, Lelouch folded his arms, a feat he was able to accomplish thanks to Kallen's backing away from him in shock at just how much he knew about her fake identity. "It's a pretty good cover story, you even accounted for your absences properly so it shows that you did your homework. Where it falls down though is the long-term history. I can only assume that the Ashford family is responsible for the truth not getting out, which isn't really that surprising, their influence is certainly far less than what it was before the Emperor's consort Marianne died but it would seem they still have some sway." And here he took on a triumphant smirk, likely proud of his own deduction skills, as he continued, "The part that brings the whole thing down is your father. There is no Earl of Stadtfeld."

"Let's look at the facts then shall we, Kallen Kozuki? You were born to a Japanese woman and a rich Britannian businessman on the twenty-ninth of March 2000 a.t.b, the second child in your family. The first was your older brother Naoto," he paused momentarily at her unconscious gasp and then went on. "who was six years older than you. For ten years you lived a perfectly normal life, enjoying the countryside, playing in the fields – there was even talk of your father applying for citizenship which would have made you fully Japanese. Then Britannia invaded in 2010 a.t.b and everything changed. Fearing for the life of you and your brother if it was discovered that you were half Japanese, your father married into the Stadtfelt family on the basis that you and your brother were protected above all else. He even managed to get your mother a position as a servant in the household so that you were all together. Your brother however soon found that he couldn't accept the fine living at the cost of your mother's dignity, or the dignity of his friends, many of whom were fully Japanese including your current leader Kaname Ohgi. As such in 2013, he ran away from home to the ghetto and formed a resistance cell with many of his friends against the Britannians. One year later he was killed." The way he spoke of her brother's death was so calm, so clinical, that it made Kallen wonder if he hadn't shed his own share of blood in his time.

"As for you...well you also couldn't take it, but for much more personal reasons. Your father was killed three years ago in an 'industrial accident' which is another polite way of saying he was assassinated, and you hold yourself, your very existence, responsible. Another factor was your mother, who fell into depression shortly after his death. She wasn't exactly the best at her new job but she had managed up until that point...you must have been fifteen when you found out. As your mother fell further and further into depression, she turned to Refrain to ease her sorrow. That discovery was what truly broke your back because you developed your 'sickness' as Kallen Stadtfelt two years ago. You've been fighting with your brother's old resistance group ever since then, showing up here at school every once in a while to keep up appearances. It turns out that you're a natural at piloting a Knightmare Frame, capable making even a beat up Glasgow a dangerous weapon...well," Lelouch shrugged, his relaxed smirk coming back, "until yesterday that is when Zero had to bail you out."

The girl he had calmly de-constructed in less than a couple of minutes simply stood there, unable to think up a retort, her whole cover lain out before her as if it was the easiest thing to find out about. Shock, awe, and not a little bit of terror ran through her system as she stared at the boy before her. "H-how?" Her stammer this time was one hundred percent real, "How do you know all of that?"

But Lelouch's smirk just stayed where it was. "I told you, Ms Kozuki. He keeps me around for a reason. I wouldn't be much of an information broker if you knew how I know, y'know?" She had absolutely no idea what he was on about, but then again it looked like he didn't care either way. And then out of the blue, he suggested, "You should join the Student Council."

That remark was so left field, Kallen thought she might have leant over to see where it had come from. "...What?"

"Well you're not a member of any clubs, but with your GPA being what it is I'm actually surprised you haven't been approached sooner. It would go along way to promote the, 'smart sick girl' look you've got going for you, and it makes them look good. Also it's convenient, seeing as I'm Vice-President." Seeing her completely stunned look, he saw his opportunity to slip away and casually broke out of her confinement, casually walking over to the classroom door and unlocking it. "Well I'll give you a bit of time to think about it. It is your choice after all." And with that, before she could stop him, Lelouch had slid the door open and stepped out into the corridor that was now beginning to fill up again with students.

For Kallen's part, she hardly realised he'd left. Her cover was completely blown! More than that though, as that kid knew everything about her history, as well as the resistance group she was in. How the hell was she supposed to sneak out now if there was always someone looking over her shoulder and could blow the whistle any time he wanted?!

She would have debated what to do about her situation further, except at that moment the school bell rang, signalling the end of the lunch break. _Oh crap! I'm late for chemistry!_

* * *

**Ashford Academy  
****Student Council Building, Private Dining Room**

**The Warlock and the Reason**

She didn't speak to him for the rest of the day, but then Lelouch hadn't expected her too. He had sort of come at her with all guns blazing tearing down her cover like that, so he couldn't blame Kallen for being suspicious of him even if he'd come with a 'message' from Zero.

It had been trickier this time round to get the message to Kallen and it was incredibly risky giving her the phone early. What if she'd tried calling him back? Turned out that was a very well founded fear as that had been exactly what had happened. Briefly he thanked god for the healthy helpings of paranoia he'd helped himself to over his time as the leader of the Black Knights and the super serving he'd gotten as Emperor, as it was that uncertainty in his plans that had lead him to make a couple of back up plans. The first time round a Geass'd Sayako had called the school phone whilst Kallen had been in the shower whilst he'd been present.

This time however he had C.C with him and that made all the difference. During the lunch hour, he'd gone back to his room where his Witch was waiting for him. As predicted she'd already ordered a super-sized double-peperoni and was already half-way through it when he burst in. _How she manages to eat all that and stay so thin is beyond me. _Anyway he'd outlined what he wanted to do and her part in it, rolling his eyes at her when she teased him over what happened last time (apparently Kallen had told her about that).

It wasn't too difficult in all honesty. While a mobile phone was a lot less restricted in terms of finding the caller's address there were still ways around it. In this case, the phone Lelouch had given Kallen and the one that would be calling her were pay-as-you-go instead of any sort of contracted subscription. Call him paranoid (which he was) but Lelouch preferred that people didn't know his credit balance. There was no paper trail that could lead back to him.

Nevertheless, as a precaution, as soon as the message had been delivered C.C had taken the battery and SIM card out of the phone and then smashed the handset for good measure, resulting in the 'disconnection' of the phone Kallen had tried to recall.

Still the trick had worked, she was still in the dark about Zero.

The next part of Lelouch's plan was sheer genius. Using his future knowledge of her and her history, he'd given her the story that he was an information broker in Zero's employ. Doing that had the benefit of going a long way to convince her that he was on her side, though he was certain she wasn't there yet, and hopefully later on it would give her the comfort of having someone in the same boat as her that she could talk to. More than anything, Lelouch's aim with Kallen was to be her friend first.

For now though that would have to wait. The day was up and he had dinner plans with a very special lady. Speaking of whom, the door to the dining room slid open and Lelouch was greeted with the sight of Sayako holding out an origami crane for Nunnally who's attention was firmly on the door that had just admitted him in. Smiling at the familiar scene before him, Lelouch couldn't help but comment on their activities. "I see you've decided to take up art."

"Lelouch!" Nunnally greeted happily, her smile growing as she recognised his voice, and she turned her wheelchair away from the table she and Sayako were sat around. "You're home!"

From her seat, Sayako smiled at him, "It is good to see you home, my lord." She said warmly.

"Thanks Sayako," he gratefully returned, "there is truly nowhere else I'd rather be. Now then," he turned inquisitive eyes to the crippled girl, a playful smile coming over him as he approached her and knelt down, "what has my adventurous little sister got you doing for her this time?"

Recognising his routine round of teasing with her, Nunnally ignored the jab and held up the pink crane in her hands, "Ms Sayako's been showing me the art of origami." She told him, an impressed air still in her voice, "Isn't it amazing? Fold a piece of paper the right way and you can make anything! Birds, animals, ships, planes."

"That is pretty cool." He agreed, picking up the pink bird origami for himself and having a look at it, "Is this your work? It looks rather nice."

"No, Ms Sayako made it for me." She nodded a little back at the table indicating the multiple colourful shapes on it. "I've tried making some, but I'm not very good at it yet."

"Nonsense, my lady Nunnally," the maid told her, "you've come along quite well for a beginner. Just keep practising and you'll be making anything you want soon enough."

Lelouch chuckled, "You shouldn't have told her that Sayako," he warned her, "now I just know I'm going to come home to a whole herd of paper unicorns one day." It was something he hadn't teased her with in a while, but he could still clearly remember a time when Nunnally had continuously bugged Marianne for a unicorn for her birthday. She was only five at the time so the only thing she could tell her was that the unicorns were scared of the knights who tried to get one for her. How do you tell a five year old that unicorns only existed in myths and fairytales?

The object of his teasing pouted at that, "Big Brother! Just for that, you don't get a crane." Her impressive hearing telling her that he was close enough to grab it, she leaned forward and snatched the pink bird back and wheeled back to the table.

Now properly laughing, Lelouch turned to Sayako who also sported an amused grin. "Well then, what should we have for dinner tonight?"

"You can have whatever you want, My Lord." She replied readily, getting out of the chair she'd been occupying and straightening out her apron.

_In that case I'll have one gentler world with no strings attached to go. _Outwardly though he told her, "You know if it was left up to me we'd be eating the same thing day in and out."

"Liver and onions with brussel sprouts," Nunnally recited, a cute little wrinkling of her nose depicting her distaste for that dish again, "eugh."

The choice once more left in her hands, Sayako bowed dutifully and headed for the kitchen, "In that case, I'll fix up a steak. How does that sound?"

"That sounds perfect Sayako, thank you."

Once she had left, Lelouch took her seat opposite Nunnally. She was running her hands over the crane, memorising its shape and texture so she could find it again if she wanted to. Seeing her sat like this, her eyes still shut thanks to his father's Geass, Lelouch had to wonder at just what had happened to change her into the leader, even if it was only as a figurehead, of Area Eleven and then Schneizel's rebellion. Likely the F.L.E.I.J.A that destroyed half of Tokyo had a part in strengthening her resolve but that couldn't have been all of it. She'd already been showing signs of leadership before then, when she stood up to Zero. _Could that be needed for the future? _He wondered to himself as he observed the innocent girl before him, _Is Nunnally really needed for that gentler world to be made a reality? _

It was impossible to answer. Even though he and Suzaku had bet everything on the Zero Requiem, they'd done so under the belief that Zero himself would lead the people after the Emperor's assassination. At that point they'd both believed her to be dead. When it was revealed that she had survived the F.L.E.I.J.A their whole plan had to be rethought. In the end though it was decided that the chances of the Requiem succeeding were even better now with her survival. Her youth and tender-heartedness would go a long way to winning over support, whilst her resolve and increased political shrewdness would fend off any underestimating nay-sayers. And if the worst should happen, she would have her masked knight to defend her. But in the end she was still an unexpected addition. The human element that no plan could ever predict made flesh. In the end, Lelouch just didn't know.

_And now I'm thinking of throwing her to the wolves again? Hasn't she gone through enough?_

"Big Brother?" Nunnally's calm, yet concerned voice cut across his thoughts and pulled him back to the present. "Is something wrong? You're very quiet all of a sudden."

"Am I? Sorry," he apologised, "I guess I just have a lot on my mind is all."

"Oooh, sounds scary. Don't tire yourself out." Seemed Milly had gotten around to telling her about his odd behaviour today as well. He'd get her for that later. It would seem though that Nunnally had her own thoughts as she went back to memorising the crane. "This morning...when you told me that you were in the ghetto, I was worried..."

_Oh no..._

"I heard the broadcast about it after you left. What happened out there, Lelouch?" Her eyes were closed, but her brows did enough to express her fear at the thought of him so near a battlefield. "I heard that the terrorists used poison gas...that they killed a lot of Japanese people as well...is it true?"

_What do I tell her...? What do I do?_ Lelouch's mind had come to a complete halt, he hadn't prepared for this, for Nunnally of all people to ask him where he was. But then his mind switched on as he heard her list off the media's spin on the story, the belief that Kallen's group had set of a biological weapon on their own people. _That can't stand...I can't let her believe ill of them! They're my friends dammit! _He'd realise later own to his own bemusement that he thought that, but for now his sole focus was Nunnally.

"Of course it isn't true Nunnally," he assured her gently, reaching out to take hold of one of her little hands, "I was there, remember? They didn't have anything like that, and if they did I'm pretty certain they weren't going to use it on the people they were trying to defend."

"But the people..."

"I didn't see anything like what they're talking about." He continued, hating himself a little more bit for having to lie to her again, "I don't know what the guys on the news are thinking, blaming the Japanese for this but I do know that I didn't see them kill any innocents."

"It's because its convenient."

_Whoa! Where did that come from? _Lelouch almost fell out of his chair when he heard her say that. It wasn't that what she said was accurate, it was that it was Nunnally who was saying it. And she said it with such a troubled tone. Collecting himself quickly, he asked as calmly as he could. "What makes you say that?"

"The media is run by Clovis." She said, a touch of sadness in her tone as she was no doubt remembering their better days with their half-brother. "If not him, then some other pro-Britannian media group. They make us look blameless whilst they do everything in their power to make the Japanese look bad. The battle in Shinjuku was spun around to make the deaths of all those people look like the terrorists' fault and that not a single Britannian soldier acted in a bad way."

Her speech, though short, held Lelouch captivated for its entirety. _Has she always been this astute? Did I just not see it before? _Suddenly he remembered their confrontation on the Damocles, when she opened her eyes. For a girl so young, her eyes seemed older than those of the wisest monk. _She truly does see everything..._

Glancing down at the crane in her hands, he was suddenly struck with knowledge that he had never realised before. "Is that why you asked Sayako to show you how to make origami?" He asked her tentatively.

She nodded, picking it up in both hands like she had before, "They say that if you make a thousand of these cranes you're granted one wish. So I'm going to make a thousand origami cranes and wish for a gentler world, where discrimination between cultures doesn't exist. Wouldn't that be nice?"

_Yes...it really would. _Too bad that he suspected that any new world that could be made would be on the graves of the one that came before. There was no way in hell he was going to let Nunnally sully herself with the dirty business of changing the world. Better that she stay innocent, whilst he did the devil's work.

But right now, he wasn't a devil, he wasn't a fighter or a soldier, he wasn't planning or deceiving. Right now, he was just her brother. And so, as was part of his brotherly duties, he put on a smile and told her, "Well if that's what you want, maybe I'll ask you to show me how to make them as well. Then I'll make my own wish."

"Oh?" She cocked her head at him curiously, "And what do you want?"

_That on the day that the Emperor's Geass on you is finally broken, you'll still be willing to call me your brother._

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to wish for a unicorn seeing as you clearly don't want one anymore."

"Lelouch!"

* * *

**Tokyo Settlement  
****Camelot Engineering Division  
****The White Knight**

Another day of testing with the Lancelot was over and done with and Suzaku was exhausted. It was only his second day with the rather eccentric Earl Lloyd Asplund and his assistant Cécile Croomy but he felt as if he'd been working for months. Not that he was complaining, being the first to ever pilot a Seventh Generation Knightmare was a treat and the Lancelot itself was amazing, already he felt like he knew it from the back of his hand. The work was hard, as he'd expected it would be, but Suzaku found it had been considerably enjoyable.

There had been a few unhappy stares from other pilots and engineers as he passed them by, probably wondering why he, an 'Eleven' regardless of his Honorary Britannian status, got to pilot such a high-spec Knightmare Frame. However Lloyd had surprised him when he'd asked why he'd been selected.

"Oh Eleven this, Eleven that, you people and your _titles." _He'd said, pointing him over to the Lancelot. "The fact is you're good. In fact, I'd say you're the only one who can bring that machine's true potential to bear. All I care about is the data, and you, Private Kururugi, produce very juicy data indeed."

After reviewing that rather odd explanation, Suzaku had come to realise that, in his own truly unique way, Lloyd had told him that he didn't care if he was Japanese. It was a hell of a lot better treatment than he'd gotten as a normal foot soldier that was for sure, at least Lloyd hadn't shot him yet...though if something happened to his precious Lancelot, _that's when I run for the hills._

For the first time since he enlisted, Suzaku laughed.

The last couple of days were full of surprises, first seeing Lelouch, whose description and that of the strange girl Cécile promised had not been in the casualty list from Shinjuku, then getting exclusive rights to pilot a state-of-the-art Knightmare Frame, and now acceptance from his Brittanian superiors.

All the same though, he was still tired and was looking forward to a good night's sleep in his bunk. Cécile had wanted to give him one of the spare quarters in the research division, something about Lloyd's personality seemed to drive off potential staff, (_Can't possibly imagine what it could be) _but Suzaku had politely refused. Though he may be getting some special treatment, that didn't mean he should lord it above the other rank and file footmen.

Maybe that was why he was so pissed off when he got a call on his communicator. Sighing painfully, the wound in his gut still aching a bit, he put it to his ear and responded. "Yes?"

"Suzaku," he recognised Cécile's voice and immediately straightened up, "could you come up to the Knightmare docks? Margrave Gottwald wants a word with you."

_What? The Head of the Purist Faction? _If it was anyone else, he would have been over the moon to have gotten the attention of a lord. Jeremiah Gottwald though just filled him with dread. The man hated anyone who wasn't a Britannian and had gone to strong lengths to make sure the Honorary Britannians were kept at the bottom of the barrel. His Purist Faction wasn't much better, mainly full of racist fanatics who wanted to keep the empire 'pure of weakness' which translated into 'free of foreigners.'

_Crap! I knew today was going too well! _All the same though, Suzaku couldn't very well ignore a direct call and so quickly collected himself. "Alright ma'am, I'll be there in a moment."

On his way back, he went over all the possible things he could have done to piss the Margrave off. Was it the Lancelot? Had some bitter pilot told a purist that an 'Eleven' was piloting the Empire's newest Knightmare? If that was the case then they certainly knew when to grab him. Even though he wasn't planning to, Suzaku could easily have fought off anyone who came his way thanks to his martial arts training in his youth under his sensei Tohdoh. With him being so out of it though, that possibility significantly dropped.

In the end, he decided that he'd just have to bear it and hurried the rest of the way to the Knightmare dock. The Lancelot was stationed here, its telltale white-and-gold paint job making it easy to pick out, alongside several other Frames that Lloyd was tinkering with but hadn't yet found any – how did he put it? – worthwhile pilots. The man in question was standing by the Knightmare's feet, arguing rather vehemously with a turquoise haired man as well as his five colleagues, all of whom were dressed extravagantly.

Deciding to stay as far out of the man's way as possible, he made his way over to Cecile who was sat at a nearby work station, seemingly going over the data on the screen. However, every-so-often she'd glance up in Lloyd's direction worriedly. Once she caught sight of Suzaku she ushered him over quickly. "Good, you made it."

"What's going on?" He asked, glancing back at the argument.

Looking up at him and where his gaze was directed, she sighed and just told him, "Prince Clovis has been assassinated."

"What?!" But the Prince was guarded around the clock! His guards were completely loyal to him and were unlikely to miss an intruder. "How did the killer get into his chambers?"

"He wasn't killed in his chambers." Cecile replied grimly, "He was killed in the Command Centre at Shinjuku." Seeing his stunned look she shrugged, "I'm only hearing about this now as well, there was nothing on the news about this."

He knew exactly which little extract she was refering to, the bit on how terrorists had used a bio-weapon in the Shinjuku ghetto, killing valiant Britannians and 'Elevens' in the process. His thoughts on that aside, there had been no mention of Clovis being in any sort of danger...or his order for a ceasefire. Officially everyone involved had been caught and were awaiting trial or execution.

Now it made sense. _They think I had something to do with his murder, the pilot who was too far away to have possiby done anything, just because I'm Japanese. _Shaking off his discontent, Suzaku sighed and got up. They might as well get this over with.

"S-Suzaku!" Cecile called out "Where are you going? If they see you, you're as good as gone from here!"

"I had nothing to do with Prince Clovis's murder," he told her firmly, expression set and defiant, "if I tell them that they should leave us alone."

Frankly though he didn't believe his own words, especially seeing as it was Lord Gottwald he was approaching, but he had to believe in the system. The empire couldn't be so rotten that it would allow an innocent man to take the fall for a prince's murder, could it?

As he neared the group, all of which were still being held off by Lloyd's superb tongue, Suzaku glanced up at the Knightmare Frame that he'd been working with for a day and a half. _Well Lancelot, it was fun...but I guess this is where my coach turns back into a pumpkin. _Sighing again he snapped off a salute to the group that had their backs to him.

"Private Suzaku Kururugi of the Royal Guard, requested as ordered my lord."

It would seem though that not a one of them had heard him as Lloyd continued his assault on all of them, "I don't care if he slept with all the Emperor's consorts and fathered a dozen bastard children, that boy is vital!"

"Vital?" A blond snapped in disgust. "An Eleven? What possible good could it be to you?"

"Lord Kewel!" Gottwald snapped at his subordinate, before turning back to Lloyd "We are investigating all possible leads, Earl Asplund. We must assume that anyone could be responsible for his majesty's murder."

_Meaning you can't find the real killer and decided to just use me as an excuse._ Suzaku thought spitefully, though he didn't let it show on his face or drop his salute for that matter.

Finally, after more back and forth between scientist and soldier, with Suzaku stood at attention the whole time, Gottwald finally noted him stood there. For a second he thought he saw something along the lines of spite cross his features but it was gone before he could catch it, replaced with a professional if somewhat disdainful glare, a look that was mirrored on his subordinates save for Lord Kewel whose stare was perfectly lacking professionalism.

"So you're Suzaku Kururugi." He stated flatly.

"Yes sir." The private replied, professional and respectful as was expected of him, "As ordered I have reported to-"

"You're under arrest for the murder of Prince Clovis." Those were the last words he heard before two of Gottwald's followers broke off and grabbed his arms, a third coming up behind him and rapping him on the head.

Somewhere far away he could make out Cecile's horrified gasp as well as Lloyd's enraged protests...but all Suzaku could think about was that at least he got to see Lelouch one more time...he seemed to be doing all right all things considered.

* * *

**Ashford Academy  
****Lelouch's Room**

**The Warlock and the Witch**

"They'll have already arrested him." Lelouch concluded. They'd been going over a revised plan on how they were going to handle their debut. In the end they'd decided to do it much the same way as last time with only a few minor modifications here and there to account for some of the changes they'd made. C.C had suggested that they just get Suzaku away from Jeremiah before he was arrested. "Orange Boy's going to use this as an example of how wrong it is to trust non-Britannians with the lives of the empire, so he's going to get all his ducks in a row before announcing Clovis' murder."

He remembered the beat up Suzaku from last time around. Some of those bruises were a day old, some were older. This whole charade had been carefully planned, but that didn't mean some less honourable types hadn't felt like relieving some stress. If he was hurt, he was a dead man anyway so it didn't matter, if he wasn't and he fought back...well he might not have been on that stand if he had.

Quelling his anger and disappointment at Jeremiah, Lelouch stood up from his chair, amusedly noting the token slip was already filling up towards Cheese-kun, and picked up his sketch-pad, as well as a briefcase that housed his laptop. The render of the final product was complete, now all that was needed was a tailor and someone good at making head-gear. Thankfully he knew where to find both.

"Going out?" C.C asked, lolling onto her back and staring up at him, a knowing look dancing in her eyes.

"Afraid so," he replied, patting the briefcase "this needs taking care of."

After that...the Zero Resurrection could begin in full.

* * *

**And another chapter up. Sorry it took longer. Blame the internet.  
Anyway, what do you think of the new role of Lelouch. Can he balance doing two things at once? The answer is yes.  
I would like to point out that Lelouch's very long description of Kallen is _not_ how I intend to use him. It's just my way of saying 'she asked for it, so Lelouch let her have it.' If I call him up in his 'informant' role again, it will be less blabby.  
****Anyone notice the Begins line I nicked? Yeah well spoilers, Lelouch is going to adopt a bit of a Bruce Wayne/Batman attitude...not too much that it takes away from his character or personality, but enough that it seems right. So more flirting but less hookers, and more theatrics (if that's possible for Zero) and less DO I LOOK LIKE A COP?!  
Anyone have anything to say about that little recount of the Lancelot's arrival that Kallen gave? I felt like I shortchanged Suzaku in his Knightmare's debut so I figured it was only right to give him this. Also sets up for what might happen later on, gives Kallen a look into the Lancelot's pilot. No, I am not doing some weird Suzaku/Kallen thing, so get that idea out of your head now - yes you! You know who you are!  
Anyway, with any luck, Zero's going to appear next chapter. We'll see if we can get on to the freeing of Suzaku, it'll depend on how long it gets.**


	6. Turn 5 Party Night Ruined

**Another day, another chapter. I know, I know, you love me. **

**Before we get started there's something I need to address. A couple of reviewers have been asking me if I'm going to turn this into a harem fic. As of right now I have no intention of doing that, though I'm not closed to the idea. I suppose it all depends on where the story takes me. I'll tease at the possibility, as you might have picked up, but right now the set up is KallenxLelouchxC.C. If I think I can do a harem, then I'll try but right now I'm keeping it a threesome. Y'know, because those are _so much_ easier to write.**

**Anyway, let's get to it.**

**We at Tahkaullus01 Productions would like to assure our readers that we do not promote violence against Admins (we do, however, find it hilarious).**

* * *

**Chapter 5  
****Party Night Ruined**

**2017 a.t.b.  
****Ashford Academy  
****History Class **

**The Red Queen**

_Two days..._that was all that Kallen could think about even as she took notes in class. A few seats across from her, a certain boy was stood up reciting from the textbook about the breeding of rulers from who-knows-when as if it was the simplest thing to talk about. Which it was if you were a Britannian. If you were half-Japanese and had lived your whole life in Japan, learning Japan's history, it was decidedly harder to follow the history of the Empire. But then again, she didn't much care about anything else other than the fact that the scheduled meeting with Zero was two days away.

The moment she'd had a minute to herself yesterday she'd called Ohgi and told him about everything that had happened: The boy, the call, how Lelouch had known about Kallen Stadtfelt _and _Kallen Kozuki, right down to things even she had forgotten about – the bit about her Stadtfelt father for example – all of it. Like her, Ohgi was sceptical about the boy but he couldn't mask his curiosity about Zero. If anything he'd reasoned, they at least ought to hear out what he had to say, though he was concerned about a Britannian youth knowing about them.

She'd told him not to worry. _If he is up to something..._for a moment, she glanced at his collected form in the mirror of her pencil case as he sat down, relaxed smile in place as he glanced her way. _If he's leading us into a trap...or worse, some kind of childish joke. _She snapped the case shut. _He's dead. _There were more than a few ways to kill a person without leaving much mess, and Kallen knew all of them. If it turned out Lelouch was playing them, he'd have two seconds to repent before she snapped his neck.

Class ended as it always did, and as they always did, her 'friends' surrounded her. _Why did I have to pretend I was sick? Couldn't I have just broken my leg or was kept home for causing trouble? Hmm...is it too late to get expelled? _

The same giggling gaggle from yesterday started up their mindless prattle. "Maybe I'll go out for some tea! Kallen you should join us!"

"Yeah! Tag along!

_Only if I get to pour it scalding hot on your head! _"Uh...no, I better not. I don't want my mother worried about me" _if I didn't have a mother it would be even better. Sad for me, I have two. One who's a bitch, and another who's the bitch's bitch. _

"Aww..." Then again if it god rid of this lot it might be worth the sight of her mother being tossed around like scrap food. "You gotta go straight home? What, d'ya have a curfew?"

"Probably a good thing if she does," and there he was, looking up she noted that every one of the flock was now looking up at Lelouch in surprise as he stood in front of her, smiling away, "if she didn't go straight home she might end up bringing a bunch of guys home with her like stray puppies."

_Did he just call me a slut? _Just for that the quick death had been moved up to 'painful', if he didn't watch himself he'd end up getting 'painful and slow.' She couldn't say any of that out loud, but if he was as good at making out her expressions as he boasted to be, then he ought to feel the very deadly glare being sent his way as she looked up at him with Kallen Stadtfelt's weak eyes. Once they made eye contact, she had the pleasure of seeing him flinch a bit. Maybe he really _was _that good.

He quickly recovered though and leant forward a little bit, "So did you have a chance to think about what we discussed the other day?"

_The meeting? Well Oghi did seem interested but why so few people? _Nevertheless whether she liked it or not, Lelouch was the only person here so far who claimed to have a connection to Zero. What other choice did she have but to swallow her pride and stand up, replying "The offer is tempting..."

_Oh crap. _She realised how that sounded the moment she said it, which was three seconds faster than the ditzes surrounding her. Nevertheless, she'd made her bed so she might as well lie in it, so she continued with her uncertain act "but I'm not too sure that I..."

"Oh stop worrying about it!" He waved her off, "We can talk about it on the way."

_On the way? The way to where?_

She had an audience though so she couldn't very well dismiss him without having the girls jump on her the very next moment...and he must have known that. The bastard was using his knowledge of her alias's weakness to get her to come with him, and he'd done it without her even realising it. Right now, Kallen really, _really _hated this kid. Shaking her head weakly, she picked up her bag and nodded to him. He could lead, less chance of him stabbing her in the back.

Once they were out of the sight of the girls, who watched them both like wild hawks watch a hare, Lelouch's gleeful smile dropped away to something a bit more controlled. "You seemed to take something I said back there the wrong way."

"Saying that I'd 'bring a bunch of guys home like stray puppies' is less than 'a bit wrong'" She bit at him, finally allowed to scowl again.

To her annoyance he just shrugged, "Sorry, but what else could I say? You are an attractive young woman. A friend of mine yesterday made the mistake of thinking I was checking you out."

"What?!" She wasn't sure what she was startled about, the fact that he thought she looked attractive or that people thought he had a thing for her.

And again he just shrugged, "I put him in his place about it, but I can understand his mistake," he turned to appraise her momentarily, "although I find I prefer Ms Kozuki's flushed face to Ms Stadtfelt's wonder-eyes."

_Flushed?! My face isn't...oh. _Kallen had felt her cheeks to figure out what he was talking about, only to find them at a regular temperature. That changed when she realised what she'd just done and she felt an unwanted helping of blood make its way through her cheeks. "You...you bastard!"

"More correct than you think." He agreed, chuckling a little bit at her discomfort. "But face it, you fell for that one."

"Please, just shut up and keep walking." She muttered angrily, ducking her head down to hide her blush. "Now what the hell is this about?"

"Don't you remember?" He asked, though his smirk told her just how much fun he was finding this. _Oh just give me five minutes and I'll show him how much fun I can be... _"I said you should think about joining the Student Council."

_...Right, now I remember. He said it would be convenient, but then I'd be stuck with him every day! _Maybe there was a way out of it though. "How does being on the Student Council help me in any way?"

"Well let's see," he made an act of thinking it over as they exited the school building, though she was quite sure he'd already thought up all the ones he needed to keep her close by. Say what you want about Lelouch – she had already done so, behind the closed doors of her mind, there was swearing involved – he knew how to keep your attention. This time proved no different "We have an all-access pass to virtually anywhere on campus...in fact now that I think about it there might be a few places we go that even the staff aren't allowed. We can leave campus any time we want, so long as the need meets with school regulations – which is why I always have to sneak away when I have to go places."

"Why?" She really didn't care, she just wanted to make sure he didn't bust her over something she should've been aware of.

"I have a bit of a gambling problem."

"Gambling? You?"

"Yes. Gambling. Me." He nodded, not looking at all offended at her slight, in fact he seemed to take it in stride. "In fact if it hadn't been for my gambling problem, I likely wouldn't have stumbled upon that mess in Shinjuku."

"You were at Shinjuku?"The Ashford uniform was pretty easy to pick out in a crowd so how come she didn't see him when they were directed out of the ghetto?

"It was all a matter of chance really." He admitted "Though I guess if I hadn't stumbled upon that mess, then Zero wouldn't have shown up." That damnable smirk was back as he glanced back her way. "Guess that means you owe me."

"I owe _Zero_." Kallen corrected hotly. "Why he keeps you around is beyond me."

"I told you, I'm useful." He told her firmly, though still with a relaxed smile, "Zero doesn't care for personalities, just results."

_Well maybe he should. _Was her immediate rebuttal, and she would have uttered it, but there was still a matter that they hadn't finished talking about. "I still don't see how anything you just listed helps me out."

"Even the part about us having access to places even the staff don't?" He asked her teasingly.

"Even that."

"Then I guess you don't want access to the underground passageway." He remarked playfully, shrugging a bit. "Such a shame, Milly even had paper hats and everything."

_Wait what?! _"Hold on a minute!" She grabbed his arm and forcefully turned him around, putting a hand over his mouth before he could make some lewd come on that only teenage boys could. "Now when I remove my hand, you're going to tell me about this underground passageway...and nothing else!" She added on as a last thought, just knowing he'd have something to say about her actions. And so, with great control to make sure she _didn't _pull his head off, she removed her hand.

He was struggling, she could plainly see it, to not say something about what she'd just done...but finally he swallowed it and just answered her question. "The school's foundation is on top of an old wartime base. When the old building was demolished, they found an underground bunker as well as a few tunnels that were connected to caves which opened out to the main road. When they built the school, they renovated the bunker, turning it into the hub of the school's security network, but they forgot to block up the tunnels. If _someone,"_ he glanced at Kallen suggestively, "needed to get off school grounds without anyone knowing, they're the best way to do it." He pulled out a small swipe card, holding it in front of her teasingly between his fore and middle-finger teasingly. "And guess which five students are the only ones who have access to those tunnels."

"The Student Council." Now the pieces were adding up. As a Student Council member, she would have access to a relatively unknown escape tunnel that could be used at any time. _That's the carrot, _Kallen reminded herself, then glanced up at the building they were approaching and the boy who was leading her to it, _this is the stick. _The only way to get that membership was to put up with Lelouch, and whatever kind of rabble would themselves his friends. Well it wasn't the worst deal she'd been offered in her time as a resistance fighter but it was certainly high up there.

Sighing, realising that she'd just have to bear it, she nodded at him. "Fine, you win. I'll play ball."

"A fitting description." He commented as he pushed the doors open, "It is a bit of a ballroom isn't it?"

The doors opened, giving admittance to a huge open space with two opposing white staircases leading up to another level. From the ceiling dangled a huge golden chandelier and everywhere there was light pouring in from the numerous windows. _This is a clubhouse? _Kallen was open-mouthed at the extravagance before her, unable to say anything as they walked into the centre of the room.

Lelouch saw her reaction and chuckled, "Yeah, that's the reaction of most students when they see this place. Pretty cool huh? We have our own little land of luxury all to ourselves and..." He trailed off as something caught his eye. She was about to ask what, her whole body going rigid as all sorts of possibilities ran through her mind. Had she been found out? Was Lelouch really a turncoat? Had the whole Zero thing been a charade to get her out in the open? Was Ashford surrounded by Britannian military that were now combing the school looking for her? Unconsciously her hand slipped towards her pocket...

"I found it!" A delighted, light-hearted voice called out above them, an arm shooting up out from behind the balcony of the top floor clutching something very small in its thumb and forefinger. The arm was soon accompanied with a body, a tall ginger haired girl with her back to them. "This is it right?" She asked someone Kallen couldn't see.

The unseen party soon revealed itself to be a smaller bespectacled girl with black plaited hair on either side of her face. Unlike the ginger girl, she was soft-spoken as she took whatever it was that her friend had found, "What a relief," she near-whispered "you found our lab data."

"Good," a third voice groaned as a blue haired boy pulled himself up off the floor looking thoroughly disgruntled "my ass is killing me."

Seeing just them, and then noting Lelouch's calm smile, Kallen relax again. _Just students._ God she was too edgy! No wonder he was able to pick her out from the crowd. A hissing off to the side almost had her going again until she saw it was just another student, a rather buxom blonde wearing an apron and pushing a food trolley into the room laden with cuisine fit for royalty. Glancing up at the three on the second level she called up to them "Did you find it? I finished up on my. So, my loyal subjects, shall we dig in?"

It would seem she had a reputation, because the group upstairs immediately dashed for the stairs.

"All right, way t'go Milly!"

The blonde just chuckled and lay the dishes out on the table. "I know, I know. You adore me."

"Not like you give us much of a choice, Madame President." Lelouch commented, smirking calmly as the group finally took note of them. "With all the stuff you put us through its amazing we haven't staged a couq."

"Lelouch, good you made it." She frowned and placed her hands on her hips, looking for all the world like a disappointed housewife. "Late of course."

It seemed though that he was familiar with this response as he merely responded, with a touch of charm, "Ah, but my dear President," he practically purred, stepping away from Kallen, his arms wide, "a lovely lady such as yourself knows I'm not really late if I'm fashionably late."

If he was looking to fluster her then he got his desire as the blonde's cheeks turned slightly pink and she shoved him, unable to hide her embarrassment. "Just shut up and help set the table." She muttered before turning her attention to Kallen. "Well he brought you, at least that's something."

_Shit! Get back into character! _Even though she was a bit confused, Kallen quickly let her eyes droop a bit and relaxed her pose just a little bit more. "Brought me?" She asked quietly, "For what, exactly?"

"You don't know?" Apparently this wasn't something new to the blonde as she turned her gaze to Lelouch, "Honestly," she muttered quietly, "some things change, some stay the same. Anyway," she returned her attention to Kallen, "he was supposed to tell you we were inducting you into the Council, y'know seeing as it was his idea."

_What?! _Kallen glanced over at the boy setting the dishes out, his back was to her but when his head turned just a little bit there was a touch of a smile.

The blonde noted her surprise and shook her head again, "I know, he never tells us anything either. Anyway, he figured you'd have a hard time with other clubs what with your health problems so he asked me, I took it to my grandfather and he gave it the O.K." Suddenly it seemed a lightbulb had gone off in her head and she tapped herself on the forehead, "And of course, by not knowing my name you don't get who my grandfather is. My name's Milly Ashford, I'm the Council President."

_The headmaster's granddaughter is also in charge of the School Council? _Glancing again at her raven haired compatriot, Kallen hit a sudden realisation as to why Zero might hold Lelouch close. If he was friends with a member of the Ashford family then that meant he had the potential ear of a future noble. _Is he trying to get some sort of political ally?_

Thoughts on reasons for keeping him in the fold were put on hold as the rest of the Council arrived to introduce themselves. "Hey!" The bluenette greeted, "My name's Rivalz and I'm the School Council Secretary. If you have any problems just come to me."

"Likely because he's the cause of the problem." Lelouch added on, finished setting up the table. His input got an irritated scowl out of Rivalz and a giggle out of the girls.

"I'm Shirley," the ginger introduced herself, "I'm a member of the swim club."

"And the gymnastics club," he spoke up again, turning admiring eyes on her figure, "both of which have gone a long way to, how'd you put it Mils? Fill her out in all the right places?"

"LULU!" Shirley cried and she immediately wrapped her arms around her chest, going beet red in the face.

_And here I thought I was special. _Kallen thought to herself sarcastically. _This guy hits on anyone who has legs and boobs. In fact the legs are probably optional._

The third member of the three was the soft-spoken and apparently timid raven haired girl with the glasses, "Um, hello," she greeted quietly, "I'm Nina and I'm in the science club."

Immediately all eyes turned to Lelouch, all expecting him to make a comment on that in some way. To their surprise, even Kallen's, he just shrugged and shook his head. "I've got nothing." He admitted then bowed to Nina. "I concede defeat to you my lady."

"As well you should, Lelouch." A new voice interrupted, accompanied by the soft whir of an automated motor. Everyone suddenly turned their full attention to the new addition as a girl with long sandy brown hair sat in a wheelchair, dressed in the pink and white uniform of the middle-school group, wheeled towards them, a couple of boxes of cakes and a plate of cupcakes resting in her lap. What caught Kallen's attention however was that she was doing all of this with her eyes shut. "Shirley," The girl asked, not opening her eyes, but still turning her head to face the ginger haired girl "could you help me set these on the table?"

The girl in question immediately got to "Sure thing Nunna." She responded immediately, hurrying over to her side and taking the contents into her own care. The girl's arm's didn't relax until the items were firmly out of her reach. Whilst that may have seemed unimportant, that body language told Kallen something very important immediately.

_She's blind..._And an automated wheelchair wouldn't be used for someone who's legs were mending, which meant that she was permanently crippled. For some unexplainable reason, the sight of such disability in a Britannian child shocked her. Logically she knew that there was nothing that truly separated Britannian and Japanese people from each other save for their cultures and beliefs, but for some reason, when Kallen thought of Britannia she imagined wealth and pomp, along with a healthy dose of arrogance. The last thing that appeared in her mind was a crippled child who couldn't see. And yet here sat the proof to the contrary, helping them set up food for her inauguration.

And then Milly dropped the real bomb, "This little bubble of sweetness is our honorary Council Member Nunnally Lamperouge, and no, the names aren't a coincidence. She's Lelouch's sister. I know," she nodded to the undisguised shock _that _statement brought "they don't look alike at all do they? She's sweet and adorable and he's..."

"A bit of a blockhead?" Kallen supplied.

"That's the word!"

Still, the short interchange only lasted for a moment as she turned her attention to the youngest member of the group and the raven haired boy who was now flitting about her and acting all...brotherly. Was this really the same boy from two minutes ago? It was as if the presence of his sister had turned on a switch in his brain and he'd turned into a completely different person.

"_If you wish to know why he hates Britannia, have a conversation with his sister." _

Zero's words from yesterday suddenly rang with a whole new meaning as she stared at the young girl who was batting her brother away and wheeling towards her, a polite smile on her face. She hadn't bothered to track him down after he delivered Zero's message, hadn't asked him why a Britannian was willing to help her fight against his own country, hadn't cared to either. But this...this changed everything. _This _was Lelouch's reason for fighting with Zero, why he was willing to work with her...his sister Nunnally who was now speaking to her "Hello there," she greeted sweetly, "it's nice to meet you Kallen."

Something melted inside of her at the unadulterated innocence set out before her, this girl with all the wealth and comfort she could ask for and yet be so kind. Unlike a certain brother, who's mission in life it seemed was to piss off anyone he spoke to. Smiling gently in return, she replied, "Thank you, Nunnally. It's very nice to meet you too." It was also her only genuinely felt greeting all day.

However, the soft moment was broken by the slamming of glass on wood. Snapping to attention at the sound, Kallen saw that Rivalz had put a champagne bottle on the table where everything was laid out. "All right then!" He said energetically, "Let's kick this party off with a bang, who's up for a toast?"

His excitement however only seemed to have the population of one, as the rest of the Student Council seemed rather hesitant to go down that road. "Champagne?" Nina asked worriedly, "But we're on the Council, we shouldn't. We're supposed to set an example." Her final comment was accompanied with a glance at Nunnally.

The bluenette however seemed all gung-ho on it as he tried to pop the cork. "Ah c'mon! Loosen up a little Nina, if Lelouch over there can act human then we need to up our game!"

"Oh no!" The boy in question waved himself out of the conversation, going over to his sister's side "Leave me out of this, Rivalz. You wanna make a mess, that's your deal."

"Spoilsport."

"No way!" Shirley suddenly jumped in, grabbing the bottle, trying to pry it away from him. "We're gonna get in trouble!" A struggle for control of the bottle broke out between the two of them, pretty much evenly matched.

From the sidelines Nunnally perked her ears up, "What's going on?" She asked her brother who was staying close to her.

"Rivalz is being an idiot." He told her immediately.

"That doesn't tell me much, Big Brother." She replied, though she accepted the glass of juice that Milly handed to her.

Lelouch seemed to consider that for a moment before nodding in agreement, "Fair point. Okay, Rivalz wants the champagne to drink and Shirley wants to stay on the Council. The rest you can imagine."

"Oh, okay." She sat there for a moment before a tiny frown appeared on her brow, "Maybe we should find somewhere a little better protected."

"Well we could go up the stairs but I wouldn't be much of a knight if I left my princess behind." He weaved out of the way as the mass of Rivalz and Shirley passed them by, grabbing Milly around the waist as she almost tripped thanks to their antics. "Careful Madame President." He warned her smoothly, "Only room enough in the Council for one princess and Nunnally carries that title."

"J-just put me down." Milly stuttered, blushing again.

During it all, Kallen's expression had become more and more bemused. _This is the Student Council? _She found herself asking as she followed Rivalz and Shirley's antics around the ballroom. _They sure act like a bunch of kids to me._

The little run around eventually ended though as Rivalz made a critical mistaking of zigging when he should have zagged and tripped over his own feet, the champagne bottle still caught tightly in his hand as he span round, trying to regain his balance. Then Shirley ran into him headlong. The combined weight sent them sprawling, with Rival falling backwards onto the floor. The following shake was the last bit of aggravation the gas in the bottle needed though, as the cork suddenly went sailing out, followed by a jet of champagne, head straight for the Student Council's new member.

Kallen was able to bat the cork away from her and Nunnally who was nearby...she wasn't so lucky with the champagne itself that came a moment later.

"Ooooh." Lelouch winced.

"What is it?" Nunnally asked him, looking up and around at the noise of the cork shooting off. "What just happened, Big Brother?"

"Well..." he replied, looking between Kallen and the two on the floor, "Shirley's more or less fine, but I think Rivalz might want to think about transferring to another school."

* * *

**Ashford Academy  
****Student Council Building**

**The Warlock**

In the end, Lelouch determined that there was no need to change anything about the inauguration of Kallen. The only real change that could be made was whether or not she got soaked or not. Last time around Rivalz had thrown it to him and then Shirley knocked him down, causing the champagne to go everywhere...or more accurately everywhere that Kallen was in the immediate vicinity of. While not entirely necessary to stick to, Lelouch would be remiss if he didn't think, looking back at it, that the whole thing had been a bit funny. However at the same time he'd rather not have her go off at him, especially seeing as he'd revealed his knowledge of her he'd technically handed her an all expenses paid ticket to go into Kallen Kozuki mode around him whenever she wanted. He'd seen her reduce Tamaki to a quivering puddle with her words, he'd rather not meet that fate.

So, in the end it came to a decision over whether he'd played with Kallen enough for one day, or if he wanted to go the whole nine yards and possibly invoke her ire...again.

_To soak, or not to soak? That is the question._

In the end he'd decided to stay out of it completely and let fate decide for itself...and it seemed fate hated Kallen Kozuki today as he made his way to his room to grab some of his clothes. To no surprise, C.C was strewn out on his bed like a lazy cat, a magazine under her chin and an empty Pizza Hut box on the floor. If anyone else were to see her, they wouldn't be faulted for writing her off as a typical, if a bit lazy, female student.

Smiling at her predictability, Lelouch asked her a question that had always been bugging him, "If you like pizza so much, why don't you just open a pizzeria?"

"I did once." She replied, "Actually it was only a few decades ago, shortly before V.V was born."

"Why didn't you stick to it?"

"Apparently I'm not allowed to make home deliveries to myself." There couldn't be a more obvious answer if he tried to think of one, so he didn't try. Glancing up at him going through his wardrobe and pulling out his red jacket as well as a black jumper and grey trousers, she asked with a bit of amusement, "I take it that Kallen's joining the Student Council was as memorable as last time? I thought you weren't going to do that this time round."

"I didn't have anything to do with it." He told her as he rummaged through the wardrobe, noting some...unusual additions. "Um..Cera? Why is half my wardrobe full of women's clothes now?" _More importantly, why'd you buy a french-maid outfit?_

"Well you didn't expect me to wander around in that prisoner's outfit all the time did you?"

"Well no but..." Lelouch shrugged, now that he thought about it the idea did make sense, and the sleeveless white shirt she had on, in combination with the denim short-shorts and her hair tied up in a ponytail was a nice change but... "how come you didn't get rid of it last time?"

Like he did she just shrugged, though her gaze did drop a bit, "I suppose I thought they suited me."

"But not now?" He asked, honestly interested, placing the clothes for Kallen on his chair. "What changed?"

Her response was to rise up off the bed and look him directly in the eye, her hands finding his. "Don't you already know?" She asked him gently, her lips a breath away.

_She changed because she...oh. _Realisation hit him and Lelouch felt his eyes involuntarily widen. _Oh! Really? _Focussing on her again, he searched for any of that usual tell tale sign of teasing but he found none. She was being one hundred percent serious with him right now. "So...that black number you started wearing when I was..."

"Absent? Yes." She nodded at his growing understanding, "That was my way of showing the world, and myself, that I was free. Free to decide for myself what my path should be. I think it was also my way of honouring you...even if we never got you back I didn't want you to be forgotten."

_Huh...now that I think about it, _Lelouch recalled as he brought up an image of C.C in, what he would never tell her, his favourite of hers, _it did resemble Zero's outfit in some ways, not as much as the white one did but..._Well would you look at that? He'd learned something new about his Witch again. "Is there ever going to be a time when you stop surprising me?" He asked her fondly.

"I most certainly hope not." She replied, her siren's smile in place as a single finger worked its way up his neck, over his Adam's apple, and stopping at the tip of his chin. "If I stop surprising you, where would the fun be in it all?"

"Temptress."

"Aren't I just?" She agreed, dropping back on to the bed, innocent little girl eyes calling to him.

It would be so easy to forget what he'd come for and just dive onto the bed and have his way with her, so very tempting indeed, but Lelouch's larger head was quick to remind his little one that there was a naked girl in a shower downstairs that needed clothes. So it was with a lot of effort, and mutual disappointment, that he at last got himself under control and picked up the bundle lying on the chair. "I've gotta drop these off." He told her, his voice a little strained as half his blood supply insisted on going south.

"Of course," She nodded, though her eyes held that teasing sparkle again at his poor predicament, "there's a wet...naked...girl in a shower. You _need _to be down there."

"You...!" he cut himself off, realising that that would be exactly what she wanted, to get a rise out of him.

But C.C wasn't done as she started twirling one of her loose locks around her finger, "I don't blame you of course." She assured him coyly, "I mean...it is Kallen. If anyone can understand your attraction to her it would be me." The bug-eyed reaction she received from _that _remark could've been seen from space. "What did you expect? Communal showers on the _Ikaruga..._I saw _everything. _So I can assure you, my Warlock, I _absolutely _understand."

_She's seen...in the...when I was... _All the blood in Lelouch's system was going one of two ways now, neither of which were doing wonders for his dignity. Taking a pained breath, he levelled the giggling witch with a glare "You are the single most evil creature that has ever existed."

"Oh come now Lelouch," she chastised, "you can do better than that."

_Gah! That's it!_ Lelouch ran – there was no other word for his departure – from his room, leaving a laughing C.C behind. _One day there is going to be a reckoning with that woman! _

Then again, there was, as always, a bit of truth in what she said. It would be a hard-pressed man who could say that Kallen wasn't attractive. Her personality which was in itself admirable was backed up by her physical beauty. Lelouch clearly remembered the last time this scene had played out and how she'd accidentally pulled the curtain away when 'Zero' called. It would have taken a better man than him not to look, it had only been a little peek but that was all he needed to get the idea of what was hidden underneath Kallen's school uniform. To say he'd liked what he'd seen would be an understatement. When you surround yourself with beautiful young women – C.C, Milly and Shirley for example – you tend to have an idea of what looks good. The only word Lelouch could find to describe Kallen was 'queenly.' And dammit if he wasn't a little bit disappointed that he wasn't going to get a glance this time.

_Oh well, _he sighed to himself as he knocked on the door to the girls' showers, _in due time, maybe._

"Who is it?" He heard her ask from a way off behind the door, the sound of running water doing nothing good for his teenage body's imagination.

Doing his best to stay under control, he replied, "It's Lelouch, I brought you some dry clothes to change into."

He couldn't tell but he thought he heard a sigh, _Hmm, maybe I shouldn't have __g__one __with__ the whole 'playboy' routine. It's going to be a lot harder to get her to trust me as it is._ Too late to do anything about it now though, he'd just have to play the game with the rules that were set. So he was relieved when she finally relented, "Come on in then. I've got the curtain drawn. If you try to peek though...!"

"I know, you'll knife me." He replied casually as he opened the door and shut it behind him...and froze at the sight of the silhouette of the body hidden behind it. _Oh...that is on a level of unfair that I didn't even know existed! _Still, he'd persevered it once so he could do it again...he just had to _not_ try to imagine what was behind that curtain. "S-sorry about Rivalz," he tried, doing his best to sound calm, "he's an idiot half the time, and a complete klutz the other half, but he does mean well."

"Yeah well, just make sure the next time he does it, he's going home in pieces."

"Sheesh, no fun at all then. Nothing wrong with blowing off a bit of steam is there?" He asked as he dropped his clothes in the wicker basket by the sink and turned to lean against it. Like before, her pink pouch was just next to him completely out of her reach. Even now he still couldn't fathom why she hadn't kept it in the shower with her if she suspected him of being Zero, there was a little sill in there that she could have put it on and grabbed it from if she absolutely needed it.

"I _do _know how to have fun!" She retorted through the curtain, "And there's a difference between blowing off steam, and blasting alcohol all over the place. Those aren't his clothes you got me are they?"

"Heh, no," he smirked, recognising her 'if it is, I'll kill you' tone. "I figured that was a death sentence, though whether for him or for me is anyone's guess. They're mine."

Again, a long suffering sigh before she relented. "Those'll have to do...though that was pretty fast." There was a pause for a moment, with only the shower making any noise. "Your sister lives here doesn't she?"

"Yeah." He admitted, there wasn't any point in hiding it anyway. They were going to be working together, and 'Zero' had sort of told her his reason for being a part of the rebellion that was to come. "It would be pretty hard for her to get around the dorms. Milly's grandfather is an old family friend so he let us stay here instead." Not a hundred percent lie...in fact he could proudly say that that was almost entirely true. He'd just left out _which _family the Ashfords were once friends of.

Not that she needed to know that just yet, nor that she likely cared. "I see." Was all she murmured, and that was all that was said for a little while. Then she asked him what he knew would eventually come up, a question that 'Zero's' message would have put there and then the understanding Nunnally's condition would have brought to the forefront. "What happened to her?"

"The official story is that we got caught up in a battle and her legs and eyes were damaged in the crossfire." That was the story that the Ashfords had fed to the student body, Milly doing a lot to make it stick. However, he'd thought up a brand new one for Kallen to hear, one that mixed fact with fiction. "The real story is she was already crippled when we first came to Japan, before we lived in Pendragon with my parents."

"Funny, I've never heard of the Lamperouge family." She replied.

"You wouldn't, it was small, hardly noteworthy to the nobility...but apparently we were well enough known to be made an example of." In fact, none of what he was telling her was entirely false.

The Lamperouge family had been of Britannian descent, small but wealthy enough to get by...and a nuisance for the Empire. The Lamperouge's had called for peace with the EU following the Humiliation of Edinburgh in 1861, insisting that further conflict with Napoleon Bonaparte was a foolish waste of life and that the energies of the empire should be more focussed on humanitarian pursuits like the improvement of the economy to better support the poor and disabled. For a while there were signs that the empire could very well go in that direction, maybe even pay reparations to the damage of nations within the EU. Unfortunately for the Lamperouge family and its supporters, in 1867 a.t.b, Elizabeth III nominated her lover Sir Ricardo von Britannia as her successor, who just so happened to be the Lamperouge family's most dangerous political opponent. Her will's infamous last line _'I do __not __forget slights to my honour' _was later used to justify the 'civilised removal' of the Lamperouge family from court in 1870, and then their murder in 1874 shortly before Bonaparte's own mysterious death after his defeat at Waterloo. All this and more Lelouch had discovered after he had taken the throne as Emperor, mildly curious to see if there was any particular reason why Ruben Ashford had decided that name had been a suitable alias.

As expected, Kallen read between the lines of what he was saying, "You mean your family was..."

"My mother was shot dead on the stairs, allegedly by terrorists who wished to send a clear message to the nobility. My sister was with her at the time, her legs and lower spine got hit in the crossfire. According to the doctors who examined her it could have been worse..." Lelouch scowled as he remembered seeing her for the first time in a wheelchair, her eyes tight shut, "but I can't see how much worse."

"What about her eyes?" He couldn't be sure, but he thought he heard a touch of sympathy in Kallen's tone. "Was that a result of the occupation?"

"No." He responded flatly. "They say it's psycho-pathological. Nunnally was _with _my mother when she was murdered." He could still remember the wide-eyed horror in his sister's eyes when they found her, Marianne's bloodsoaked body shielding her, twitching ever so slightly. "She was so traumatised by what she saw that she shut her eyes to the world."

"She blinded herself by choice?"

_No!_ He growled to himself angrily._ My bastard of a father made her think she did. _"I know it's hard to believe, I know I didn't at first either, but that's the only explanation they could give." Exhaling his fury at the Emperor, he quickly got his temper in check before continuing. "After that attempt on our lives, my father sent us to Japan figuring that a neutral nation was the safest place for us. Despite the political tensions between us and them, the Prime Minister was a friend of his and so agreed to take us in under the cover of us being political hostages."

"And then Britannia invaded." She summarised.

"And then Britannia invaded." He parroted in confirmation. "I'd made a few friends during my time in the Prime Minister's care, some Japanese, some Britannian, and some of whom I'm pretty sure were children of the politicians behind the Oriental Incident." Again, not a lie. While Suzaku had been his very first true friend, there had been others who would visit from time to time, Kaguya Sumeragi being one for example...though considering she'd wanted to marry him (when she was only seven years old) that friendship could be tested at times. But in the end, to Lelouch's knowledge, Suzaku was the only one he knew of to have stayed in Japan long enough for them to meet again. "When Japan was occupied, there were a lot of children from neighbouring countries, the youngest of which being a Chinese girl...she was only six."

He could feel the familiar bitterness when he thought of the occupation begin to swell, that old hatred for the Emperor that had never fully gone away, the knowledge that his own father had deemed him and Nunnally an affordable loss so long as he got what he wanted. The only time that he'd felt a similar anger was when he realised his mother, a woman whose memory he cherished, had manipulated him just as much as his father had. "They didn't care...no one cared. Britannia dropped bombs on us, not even considering who they were potentially harming. What we saw...we couldn't even call them battles, those are at least in some way fair with equal chances of victory or defeat for either side..."

"A slaughter..." The horrified whisper he heard escape Kallen's lips stopped his recount and he glanced back at the curtain, noting that her silhouette had completely frozen, slightly turned to face him. "You witnessed a slaughter."

Sighing grimly he nodded, "It wasn't even soldiers" he confirmed what he knew she was fearing "parents, the elderly. Men, women...children. Nobody cared." Realising that he was starting to lose focus, Lelouch took another deep breath, deciding it best to round it off with his philosophy. "The only ones who should kill are those prepared to be killed. That's why I fight with Zero, that's why I'll oppose my own country...because they don't care who they kill so long as they can kill."

For another short while the two of them were silent, not sure what to do from here. Then he took the initiative and pushed off of the sink, "You should finish cleaning up." He told her shortly, "I'll wait outside."

"...Yeah."

He didn't wait to see if she had anymore to say and quietly excused himself from the room. The moment he was sure he was alone, Lelouch smashed his fist against the plaster wall as old grudges worked their damnedest to get out, ordering him to move ahead with his plans as they had before. He didn't need Kallen or the Knights, he could do it all by himself. All he needed to do was convince Suzaku to join him and they could take the Empire by storm, they could do anything together! He just needed to find him and...

_No! _His rationale, reinforced by his recently discovered conscience, fought back, forcing his anger aside. _Look where going it alone got you last time! Abandoned by your subordinates, the only choice left to you to become the very thing you loath. Do you really want to go that way again?_

The answer was a resounding no on all fronts of his psyche, his hatred for his father backing down, letting his cool logical self take full control again. Smiling bitterly to himself at how close he came to losing it, Lelouch turned around to face the closed shower door and leant against the opposite wall, arms folded.

He didn't have to wait long for Kallen. A few minutes later she stepped out wearing his clothes...and he had to admit that they suited her in a baggy, backstreet girl way. Nevertheless he didn't trust his tongue to stick to his carefree image so he just stayed silent for the journey back.

To his surprise it was Kallen who started up a conversation between them again, "So...if I'm gonna be stuck on the Student Council, is there anything that I really need to know?" At his stunned expression, she clarified, "So I know when to suddenly become sick, I mean."

At last he managed a chuckle and replied with the same explanation he'd given her last time "Well I guess there really isn't much that the Council actually does, aside from the odd bit of paperwork. But we do occasionally plan school events...or rather Milly decides we're having an event and the rest of us stop the school from burning down."

"You're kidding?"

"Nope. You should've seen last year's Absolute Silence party..." he winced as he remembered the punishment for speaking at that event, "so many near-lawsuits."

"Wait...so that day when everyone came in wearing their swimsuits wasn't some joke?"

"Nope," he shook his head, smirking as he remembered how that one happened, "Shirley made the mistake of telling us all she'd joined the Swim Club and so Milly decided, as a celebration, everyone would come to school in their swimsuits, the skimpier the better."

He suspected that Kallen didn't even notice that her jaw had dropped open at such a random decision to hold such an event "How is this school still standing?"

"Hell if I know." Was his absolutely honest reply, he was still trying to figure out how they'd all survived Milly's final event on Valentine's Day, especially with Sayako masquerading as him. Everyone after his hat for a chance with the Council President. It was a mystery to him even to this day. "I just learned a long time ago not to question it and my life has been simpler ever since."

Silently Lelouch thanked Kallen, seeing immediately what she had done the moment she asked about the Council. After the difficult conversation in the shower it was a welcome relief to talk about something so mundane and normal._ She doesn't even really like or trust me yet. _And yet here she was trying to help him relax. Feeling a small grateful smile slip over his lips, he promised himself right there that before this was over he would be someone she could count on, just as much as he had counted on her in the past. After all, it was only fair.

The light atmosphere only lasted for a little while though as they turned the corner back to the ballroom and saw the rest of the Council, honorary member included, gathered around the T.V. Hearing their footsteps, Nunnally turned round to face them, her eyebrows raised in worry and grief. "Lelouch!" Though she called for him, her words seemed to reach beyond to his partner, "Come look, quickly!"

"What is it?" He asked hurrying over, knowing full well what he was about to see, Kallen close behind him. "What's wrong, Nunnally?"

Milly answered for him, arms crossed, a worried expression in her normally flamboyant eyes, "Prince Clovis has been assassinated," she told him, "they're saying it was an Honorary Britannian."

"But that's impossible!" Kallen blurted out, catching herself a moment later as the others looked at her in surprise, "I mean, there's no way an Honorary Britannian would be able to touch Prince Clovis." Nevertheless, he caught her glance his way, reading her thoughts exactly. _That's right, my Queen, Zero's a busy man._

"Yeah well, that's what the acting Viceroy is saying." Rivalz commented, pointing at the image of a familiar face to Lelouch that had just appeared on the screen.

Jeremiah didn't look that different now from when he last saw him. Maybe a bit more tightness in his expression and there was the obvious lack of his comically orange face mask that had concealed his artificial Geass negating eye, but apart from that he looked pretty much the same. Stood behind him were his loyal followers, the Pureblood Faction, dressed in the standard blue jackets and trousers that made up the formal uniform of Britannian Knights, the only visible difference being the blood red band on the left sleeve and the red winged pin on the lapels of their jackets. The only one other than Gottwald to immediately stand out was the dark skinned woman with long silver hair who was dressed in purple instead of blue who Lelouch recognised as Villetta Nu, Jeremiah's right hand.

The man himself was making a public announcement from the state broadcast room, live across the air. "Prince Clovis has been taken from us!" He spoke out clear and strong, and was it any wonder he had so many followers with a voice like that? "He fought for peace and justice against all of the Elevens. He died a martyr! We must all bury our sorrow and carry on his will."

_Jeremiah..._again, Lelouch felt disappointment in his once-loyal Knight of Orange rise up in him, _you went so far, did so much, caused so much suffering for the Japanese, all in the name of a woman who never deserved your love or your loyalty._ There was no way of knowing if he could get his Jeremiah back, but something in him told him at least to try, immediately rewriting a line for Zero that he had planned for the procession two days from now. Then the scene was interrupted, cutting back to the news channel's studio.

"We interrupt this broadcast with breaking news," the presenter informed the viewers, "the man suspected as the murderer has been captured."

_Here it comes._ He thought to himself, glancing over at Nina as the rest of the group waited with baited breath to see the face of the killer. _I hope he doesn't frighten you as much this time, _he prayed for his quiet friend before turning his attention back to the screen.

"According to this latest report," the woman continued as the screen cut to a shot outside where a barricade had been set up, armed guards keeping the public from getting close. And there, being forcefully escorted by two more soldiers, was a man Lelouch could never call a murderer even as he sank his sword into him. "the suspect is a former Eleven and Honorary Britannian, Private Suzaku Kururugi."

On screen it wasn't clear, but there were faint signs of where Lelouch knew his friend had been struck, covered up hastily with make-up. A look that went to waste as the Britannian soldier on his right, sick of hearing his protests, struck him across the cheek.

_Leave him alone you bastards!_ Keeping his face a mask of indifference, the only tell that he was decidedly pissed off was a slight twitching underneath his Geass inducing eye.

"An Eleven..." That one little whisper that escaped Nina's lips had him rounding on her furiously, ready to tear into her, seeds of doubt be damned, when another voice caught him.

"Suzaku..." Nunnally's voice was trembling, her head shaking minutely, "no...you wouldn't...Suzaku wouldn't!"

"Nunna?" Shirley asked, surprised as the rest at her outburst, "What's wrong? Do you know him from somewhere?"

But she wasn't listening as she turned her chair around and wheeled over to Lelouch, "Big Brother, help him! Please!" She grabbed out at thin air, looking for his hands which he quickly supplied. When she had a hold of him though she held on tight to them, staring up at him pleadingly "Please, Big Brother! He's our friend! He wouldn't do that!"

"Nunnally, I..."

"You were there, you must have seen him!" Her grip was so tight on him that, when he tried to pull up again he nearly tipped her out of her chair. To his horror, and the collective startle of the Council, tears started running out of her eyelids, "Please Big Brother, please...help him."

Her broken voice crushed his heart and Lelouch immediately dropped down, hugging his little sister as tight as he could. "It's okay, Nunny." He told her, using the nickname he only saved for emergency occasions. "It's okay, he's going to be all right. This is all a big mistake."

"Help him." She just begged him again, not letting go of his arm at all.

"I will, Nunny." He promised, wiping away her tears as best he could "I'll go straight to the court tomorrow morning and tell them everything. We'll keep him safe." Inside he was seething. _I'll go all right. I'll go and begin it all again. Jeremiah, I hope you're ready for me because this time I won't stop with just Orange! Your little stunt made Nunnally cry...and I don't forgive anyone who makes my little sister cry._

His rage coming straight to the forefront, he turned angry eyes on Milly who stepped back a the fury blazing in them. "I'm taking her to bed." Was his short statement, and all she could do was nod. This wasn't Geass in action, this was the anger of a man who had seen his best friend humiliated and his little sister indirectly hurt because of it. At last getting his hand free of Nunnally's iron grip, he fished out the Council membership card made for Kallen that would give her access to the underground tunnels and tossed it to her. "Use it or don't. I don't much care."

And with that closing remark, he stood up straight and went round to the back of Nunnall'y's chair. With the terrified sniffles of his sister still burning in his ears, Lelouch pushed the chair out of the ballroom and towards her room.

_Jeremiah Gottwald. When I'm done with you there won't be anything left of your pride or your standing with the Empire. I'm going to spit on your name and then wipe it out of existence. This Geass I do solemnly swear!_

* * *

**Ashford Academy  
****Lelouch's Room**

**The Witch and the Warlock**

He was furious. That much was obvious as she watched him pace around the room like a caged animal, trying to find something to relieve his tension on. It spoke wonders to his self-control, C.C considered, that he didn't turn to her to fulfil that need. Even when he was so angry he couldn't think straight he respected her boundaries. _He's too damn noble for his own good. _She thought to herself, rolling her eyes slightly as he finally slumped into his chair, burying his hands in his hair and dropping his head on the desk.

She had heard the broadcast on the radio, as they had predicted Jeremiah had gone the full nine yards in order to get his point across. Exactly the same speech, exactly the same false suspect, yet a completely different reaction she suspected from her Warlock. He had told her before that he'd told Nunnally a bit about Shinjuku, not the full story but enough to give her an idea of where he'd been that day.

_It would seem that action had consequences, _she thought to herself as she recalled watching as Lelouch wheeled a crying Nunnally to her room, his own eyes switching between rage and fear. Honestly though, he must have known that changing events was going to cause ripples along the way. The reaction of his sister to the news of Suzaku's incrimination was just one example. And who knew what implicating himself as an information broker would result in down the line? It could have potentially disastrous results especially when the time eventually came for him to reveal his identity to the Black Knights. Nunnally's crying fit was a comparatively harmless change in comparison to all the kinds of things that could go wrong with this new deception.

All the same, C.C decided it would probably be better, at least for now, to keep her thoughts on that to herself, at least until Lelouch was more emotionally stable. To that end, she lifted herself off the bed and made her way over to her exhausted Warlock. Not bothering to turn him around, she wrapped her arms around him, resting her chin on his shoulder, as a mother would her scared child.

"You've planned everything to the best of your ability." She assured him, hiding a triumphant smile as she heard his breath hitch, knowing she had hit the nail on the head. "We've accounted for all the differences this time around, including your new role as well as mine. In two days we'll meet with Kallen's group, we'll get them to help us, and we'll save him."

For a while he was silent, his ragged breathing the only thing that came out of his lips. He was new to this, just as much as she was still in the process of rediscovering it. Emotions were something they'd both, for their own reasons, taught themselves to keep under lock and key. Ironically it was thanks to each other that they were finding it harder to keep those feelings under control; he'd broken her out of her self-imposed isolation with his promise that he wouldn't leave her alone, and she'd continuously pushed against his comfort zone, reaching into the teenager he was, bringing the boy underneath out more and more.

Finally, he lifted his head up off of the desk, the tension in his frame still present but decidedly less than it had been since his return. Looking back at her, he couldn't resist putting a kiss on her cheek. "Thank you Cera." His voice was barely audible but it was there, for her ears alone.

Smiling gently, she pulled him up and lead him away from his work. "Come to bed."

They had a big day coming up after all.

* * *

**Not quite sure what happened with this one, I brought in the Student Council and then suddenly they didn't want to go away. I thought I'd get the party done, have a different conversation while Kallen was in the shower, and then we'd get on to the next day. Instead...read the chapter again.  
****I also wanted to get Lelouch's cover story out of the way, as well as do a bit of world building of my own in regards to the Lamperouge name.  
********I know I promised Zero and I'm sorry that I couldn't deliver, but the party sort of went on longer than I thought it would.  
And before anyone says 'hey! Lelouch didn't have any friends other than Suzaku!' Let me please point out that this may be sticking close to canon, but I am taking some liberties...how else am I supposed to introduce some OCs? Also no, that Chinese girl isn't one (in fact if you take her age into consideration you should be able to figure out who she is. Lelouch just thinks she's dead), but she will make an appearance later.****  
Next chapter: We WILL have Zero...why are you all glaring at me? I mean it, he will be with us next chapter. C.C's also going to rejoin the centre stage...at least for some scenes. As you can guess though, I'm not going to be very nice to Jeremiah. I like the guy but...he made Nunnally cry...he is going down.**


	7. Turn 6 The Zero Resurrection

**My loyal followers! I have returned once more with a chapter for your perusal and judgement.  
****Last time I failed in my mission to bring you Zero (Please stop throwing stones through my window) as well as set Jeremiah on a collision course with a tongue lashing from the Masked Knight himself. I must say though the amount of people who have begged me not to be mean to him is quite amazing. Sorry guys, but he made Nunnally cry. I got a bit angry myself when I wrote that...too much time spent trying to get inside Lelouch's head I guess.  
****As of this chapter though, I am happy to inform you that at last, the Masked Knight has appeared! It took me too bloody long, getting all the annoying resetting shit out of the way, but I am now in a position to give you Zero!  
****Wait...why are you looking at me so sceptically? Where'd you get those rocks? Hey! Just read it before you all commit first-degree murder, will ya?!  
****I now know what the Admin felt when I beat him/her/it/other to death...I'm still not sorry.**

* * *

**Chapter 6  
****The Zero Resurrection**

**2017 a.t.b.  
****Tokyo Settlement  
****Custom Clothing Tailor's Workshop**

**The Warlock and the Witch**

Considering his mood yesterday, he wasn't surprised that C.C suggested he didn't go to school today. After all the death glares he'd shot the Council yesterday, they might need some time to calm back down, as well as absorb the information that their lazy Lelouch could be friends with a Japanese boy thanks to Nunnally's little give away. He couldn't fault her for her want to help Suzaku, in fact after she pleaded with him to go to the authorities and do something to get him off, he was doing his best to stick to the plan the two of them had spent the last couple of days laying out.

To that end, his Witch had been instrumental in making sure he stayed on task by doing what she did best: Being distracting. But it was a new type of distracting that involved getting him out of the clubhouse and going to places in the city. Shrugging, he'd agreed and let her drag him out of his room, through the corridor – though he'd insisted on checking in on Nunnally before leaving – down to the security hub and then through the underground passageway to the outside. A short walk later and they were on the train heading into the city.

It was at this point that something snapped in Lelouch's mind, which made him all the more thankful for C.C getting him away from the academy and his moping. He'd completely forgotten about his outfit, as well as the one she'd drawn up for herself, that should be finished up by now. Resolving to smack himself upside the head for letting himself get so worked out that he forgot about the tools for his overall plan to work, Lelouch grabbed hold of her hand, allowing himself a small smirk at her small blush, and got ready to get off at the next stop which was, rather conveniently, the consumer district.

It took a little bit longer to walk there, but soon enough they were entering a familiar workshop run by a balding grey-haired man, dressed up in a proper tailor's formal outfit, waistcoat and everything. Upon seeing them, he stopped a minor bit of grumbling – likely over a new order that had set him back a pretty penny – and turned to address his two potential customers.

"Good morning, young sir," he greeted Lelouch pleasantly, then C.C "and to you as well young miss, what may I interest you in today? Perhaps a new dress for your young man here?" He looked between the two of them, just managing to keep a knowing smile off his lips, though not out of his eyes and tone "You're quite a lucky one if I may say so sir, she looks quite the amazing young lady."

_Well I don't know about 'young' _Lelouch thought to himself as he and C.C exchanged an amused glance, _but you're absolutely right. _Nevertheless, he had a job to do. Business before pleasure and then, going by the fact that she still hadn't given him his credit card back, she could be the man's model for as many dresses or skirts as she liked. "Actually, I'm here to enquire about that _special order_ I had you make for me."

The shop owner looked a bit confused for a moment...and then he stood up straight, his arms that had been fidgeting about went perfectly still at his sides, and his face lost all expression as the trigger command of Lelouch's Geass over him activated. "Of course, sir." He replied monotonously, heading over to a door in the back, "Right this way."

He lead them into the back of the store, which turned out to be a waiting room that was considerably more tastefully decorated than the basic block colours of the front of the shop, a table with a few plush armchairs in the centre, as well as a sofa to the side. The shop owner stopped here, "Would you like to wait here whilst I collect your order sir?"

Glancing at C.C, who didn't look concerned either way, Lelouch shrugged and nodded. "That will be fine, thank you." He told the owner, who gave him a respectful bow and exited through another door at the other end of the waiting room to collect their order.

Once they were alone, C.C disengaged her hand from his and strolled over to the sofa which she quickly turned into her domain, dropping down languidly onto it and curling up upon the cushions not unlike a cat after a long day of doing whatever it was cats did during the day..._oh that's right, lie around not doing anything and only getting up when they need feeding...way too much like a cat._ If he wasn't so busy marvelling over how she managed to make even an old sofa like that, no matter how well kept it was, look like a sensual domain, Lelouch would've realised that he'd just unconsciously insulted her.

"So," she began, looking around, "this is where it came from?"

"Yes, exactly the same person." He confirmed, joining her and letting her rest her head in his lap. "Why risk getting it wrong?"

"It's strange, when I imagined the birth of Zero, I have to admit even I had my own fantasies about its creation."

"What?" He raised an eyebrow at that statement, tipping her chin up to look at him, "You thought Zero had his suit created by a thousand busy little elves off in some amazing magical workshop?" A pout was his prize, but that simply wasn't good enough as he leant down a little, "Hidden away underneath Mt Fuji, the mighty Zero has his secret workforce create a masterpiece of style and practicality for his valiant campaign against the evil tyranny of the Britannian Empire...that actually has a nice ring to it. Maybe I'll get it patented and sell the story, the royalties would keep the Black Knights going for a lifetime."

"Mean." Was her single-worded response before his lips captured hers, and then they were lost in each other.

However long they stayed like that was unknown to them because the only time they broke apart was when they heard the shop owner return. In his arms he held two zipped up black suit carriers and an unmarked black box. One of the suit carriers was marked with the Geass Crane which Lelouch took and handed to C.C, the other he took for himself. Quickly unzipping it and inspecting it personally as he had done the last time, he couldn't help the wave of nostalgia that hit him as he gazed at the dark purple jacket and white shirt that he'd worn into battle so many times. It was in these clothes that he rejected the Emperor and Lady Marianne, in which he fought the battle of Tokyo, in which he was reunited with his half-sister Euphemia...in which he had waged war on Britannia against his tenacious sister Cornelia and his unbeatable brother Schneizel.

And here it was again, awaiting its wearer to slip it on and begin the battle anew. This time though...he would become what he had to pretended to be, even as all the others became what he preached. This time, he would fight as a true Knight for Justice.

Still, it was missing something. "And the mask?" He asked, zipping the suit back up.

"Ah yes," the Geass'd man replied, handing him the box which Lelouch immediately opened up "it should be as requested. It was worked on by the finest in the field, all parts of it done separately and then put together here by my hand, as you instructed, the slide system included."

But he was no longer listening to his unwitting pawn, he was already trying on the last piece of the costume, feeling it slide around the back of his head and click shut. _Hmm, everything seems to be in order. _He could see out of it at least, and turning his head confirmed that the size matched what he'd measured on the designs, just like last time. "What do you think?" He asked his partner, confirming that the voice modulator was indeed installed and operational.

C.C smiled indulgently at him, busy admiring her own new outfit, or re-familiarising herself with it as the case may be. "I think you're still as sickeningly sentimental as ever." She replied teasingly, "Couldn't you have thought up something original?"

"What's the point in originality if the classic look works?" He retorted, smirking behind the mask. Oh if the Knights could see their leader now, mucking about with his partner and teasing her over something as trivial as cosmetics. They'd either swear he was an imposter, had lost his mind (again), or that he was actually C.C doing what she always did when she had nothing better to do...more of the same but now with a bored air instead of an indifferent one. She had stolen his outfit on a few occasions to arrange all manner of things...the Leaning Tower of Pizza came to mind. _If she had her way all we'd ever have would be pizza..._he never thought he'd be sick of the sight of the stuff but she'd managed to do it by that point.

_But then...that's my Cera, always surprising me._ Smiling fondly he turned back to the blank slated tailor who was still stood at attention, waiting for further instructions. "Very well then. Time for the last test."

Aside from one detail, the mask was identical to his old one, however his experiences with Geass had taught him to be prepared for any sort of development – loss of control, power seeping into the other eye, maybe even regaining control over it eventually if he'd had the time – he wasn't about to chance that dangerous power surprising him. Unfortunately his knowledge on it was still limited, he didn't know if his power increased when Geass was in both his eyes or if the range had doubled or anything. So all he could do was redesign the slide mechanism for both eyes, designed to work individually in the incident that Geass left one eye and entered the other – Lelouch was dealing with something he didn't fully understand so anything could be possible – or together if both eyes obtained it.

First he tested the left slide, which worked perfectly and felt ever so familiar to him that he might as well have done it yesterday. Then the right slide, decidedly odder seeing out of his right eye whilst his left remained covered, leaving him feeling a bit disoriented. _Well, that's going to take some getting used to...if that requirement is ever needed that is. _Finally he opened both slots together, the view being much as he suspected it would be, that is to say, the world looked normal. If ever the time came for both eyepieces to be used, Lelouch hoped that by that point he had some of those Geass repelling contact lenses on him.

_Speaking of which..._His test of the mask complete, Lelouch removed it and put it back in its case, sealing it properly, before addressing their aid. "And the other order?" He asked, "How is that coming along?"

"As per your instructions sir, I have laid out the measurements for the first batch of uniforms you requested." The tailor dutifully answered "All sizes for both genders have been estimated, the bulletproof properties taken into account as well. They should be ready for distribution within a fortnight or so."

"And the head gear?"

"They should be ready within that window, sir."

Good, then he was still on schedule. Still that gave him a limited time window to 'obtain' the Black Knights' initial hideout. _I'll just have to strike it lucky _Lelouch eventually concluded before turning his full attention to the tailor. "Nicely done, you've served me well."

The second trigger word would deactivate the tailor's Geass a few minutes later, memories of showing a happy couple quite a few of his best work filling his mind. Unfortunately they couldn't buy anything at the moment because there was nothing that could justify such an expenditure, but the polite young man had promised to mention him to his friends once he got back to Ashford Academy. The old man was smiling happily for the rest of the day...his life was finally looking up!

Still he had work to do so he'd better get back to it, youngsters and their fascination with black and leather these days...

* * *

**Ashford Academy  
****Lelouch's Room**

**The Witch**

"So..." C.C murmured to herself as they lay together, the sun having set hours ago. "Tomorrow it all starts again."

Pushing up onto her arms, she gazed down at her Warlock. It was so strange watching him sleep, awake he was so focussed or edgy or a number of other things that made him look older than his age would suggest. When he slept though his true youth shone through, the creases in his brow smoothed out and the tightness in his expression melted away. In sleep, the last remnant's of Lelouch the Child came to life.

_He's so young..._ once more she found herself marvelling at the boy who had brought the world to its knees, then broke those knees clean off and kicked them away, only to replace them with new stronger ones. He gave his life to the world long before it sent a sword to cut him down, and he wasn't even twenty years old. It was moments like this, when she realised the differences between the two of them, their ages notwithstanding, that C.C's doubts about them really came up. In all possible logical outcomes, a relationship between the two of them should be impossible. She would remain eternally young whilst he steadily got older until he eventually died. Whether he would curse her youth as many had, or still treasure her presence as had been the case with far fewer, the end result was the same. He would die, and she would be alone again.

_But...he promised to stay with me. _A more innocent, quivering voice pointed out, a voice she'd grown to despise and ignore over her long life. That weak willed child who had no strength, power or love. The girl that Lelouch had brought forth without his knowing during his first rebellion, and then spent an extended amount of time with in his second. A girl that he cared for..._he promised not to leave._

_He won't have a choice._ The bitter crone in her retorted, _It's the way he's built. One day he'll face the end that comes for all men and never for me._

_And when that day comes what is the more likely outcome? _The part of her mind that she recognised as the arrogant snob she'd become in her last days as a Geass bearer. _Will he really be as kind and devoted as he is now? Or will he simply want me gone? Better to leave now before he gets those ideas._

_But..._the girl whimpered, _he promised._

_And what does life care for a promise?_

_What do men care for a promise?_

The argument...or rather, the bullying of one of her personality traits, the one she wished she could forget, by two others, one she despised and one she recognised, went on for a while longer. In the end though, C.C just couldn't come to a conclusion.

In all her time on this earth she'd never had to deal with something like this...she'd had companions, accomplices and lovers aplenty over her long life. But when it came to Lelouch there was no comparison...because he was the first friend she'd ever had. As a rule she knew it was dangerous to become attached to the people she'd bestowed Geass on, the proof of that clear in the form of Mao. She'd let her maternal instinct get the better of her and look what the result was. He was driven insane because she couldn't live with the guilt of what she'd done to him and abandoned him. When she'd seen him again the last time it had already been clear to her that her little boy was gone. The only thing that could be done to atone for his misery was to put him out of it.

_And now I've gone and done it again. _Only the attachment she felt for Lelouch went far deeper than that of a mother. He was the one who would change everything...but there was one thing that he couldn't change.

_What am I ever going to do without you? _ She desperately wanted to know. _When you die, how am I ever going to go on?_ Though she'd never tell him, those ten months without him had been the most hollow she'd ever lived. It wasn't just the loss of her Warlock or the possibility that her contract wasn't going to be fulfilled after all...but every day she'd watched him go to and from Ashford, living his life like a normal teenager, happy and free.

And for the first time in her life, C.C hadn't wanted to die...instead she'd wanted something equally impossible.

In reality that had been the real reason to have at least one normal day with him before everything became one battle strategy after another. People like them didn't do dates and flowers, they were too mediocre. But that didn't mean there was a part of her who wished mediocre was the life she'd been given.

She'd wanted to live that kind of life with him. A happy, boring, short, unimportant life...with him.

But in the end, she'd given him his life back, and with it his mission. To destroy Britannia and remake the world, an objective that hadn't changed one bit since their return to the beginning.

"Cera..." Lelouch turned a little bit onto his side to face her, an arm reaching out to find her which one of her hands unconsciously reached out to take and lead to wrap around her loosely. Upon coming into contact with her, he smiled a little bit, mumbling something she couldn't quite catch, and then fell still again.

If she valued her heart, C.C knew she should have gotten out of here a long time ago...but then it was already lost to her, in the care of the young mortal boy who had shown an old woman how to live again. So she would help him with his rebellion and usher in another new world. And when he passed, by the way of the sword or the passage of time, she would fade away into nothingness...a phantom who mourned his leaving her forever.

_But for now, _Cera decided, resting her head back down on his pale chest, wrapping herself around him, _he's here with me...and so I'll be happy with the time I have with him, for however long that lasts._

* * *

**Tokyo Settlement  
****Old Tokyo Tower/Britannian Victory Memorial Centre**

**The Red Queen and the Knights to Come**

Coming here alone made Kallen sick to her stomach. The orange-and-white latticed radio tower that had been a testament to Japan's own T.V and radio broadcasting had been left behind to rot with the rest of the city after the occupation. Standing now at only a hundred and fifty metres, if you didn't count the mangled metal framework jutting out over the Observatory, it was a mockery of what it had once been and a message from Britannia that the old ways were dead. If that wasn't bad enough, FootTown, the four story building located beneath the orange legs, had been ruined. Though it still served as a museum and tourist attraction, the Shinto shrine on the second floor was gone replaced by another food court with Britannians effecting an insulting imitation of their Japanese neighbours.

If that wasn't bad enough the old achievements of the nation had been removed in favour of wall after touch-sensitive glass covered wall of blown up dramatic photos of invading Britannian soldiers. And then there was the propaganda spewing nonsense coming out of the audio-snippets, of how the great and 'Holy' Britannian empire won its resounding victory over the 'unenlightened' Japan and brought it into the future. _Sure, they take our home, burn our lands, spit on our privileges, plunder our resources, turn our achievements into jokes, __deny us our _name,_ and _we're _the 'unenlightened' ones? Yeah, I can see the sense in that!_

Deciding it best to just get it over with, Kallen pushed forward through the throngs of tourists who didn't even realise the injustice around them and headed for the arranged meeting point with Oghi and the others. They weren't too hard to find, the red headbands worn by their group stood out like a sore thumb to anyone here who didn't have their head up their ass and Kallen spotted three headbands right ahead of her. It seemed he had decided to go along with Zero for now as only Sugiyama and Yoshida were with him, adding in her that totalled their party at four as had been requested by their mysterious contact.

Seeing her out of the corner of his eye, Oghi made no reaction other than to subtly nod her over, neither of the others making any move at all to suggest they knew her. Silently she joined them, falling in beside them, making it look like she was just observing the old war pictures like they were.

"Hell of a place for a meet-n-greet." Yoshida mentioned once they were all together. "What's the big idea bringing us here? To remind us that we're nothing but a footnote in history to the empire?"

To be honest, the same thoughts had been running through Kallen's mind as she'd stared at the propaganda. What had Zero's motive been for bringing them here? To piss them off? Because it sure as hell was working.

She must have given her distress away because Oghi spoke to her "First time back?" He asked her, a knowing sympathetic look on his face.

"We came here a month before Britannia invaded." She recalled, "Just Naoto and me...it was fun." The last bit of real fun they would have together. She didn't have long to reminisce though because at that moment, when the digital clock above them hit 16:00, the black phone she'd taken with her started to rumble.

Though their heads remained perfectly still, all eyes turned to her as she pulled out the small device and looked at who was calling...then again, who else would it be? The caller ID showed '0.' Accepting the call, Kallen brought it to her ear and listened with baited breath.

"So..." Zero's voice held a pleased hiss, "it would appear that you've accepted my invitation."

_What the? _She spun around, scanning the crowd. But there were too many people with phones out, either talking into them or snapping pictures, for her to pinpoint where the caller was. "Where are you?" She asked, still looking for the speaker.

"Right within your grasp, yet in a place you will never reach for." He replied cryptically, almost wistfully it seemed. But then it was gone again as his tone became fully business again, "Do you see a young woman with green waist-length hair?"

Confused enough as it was, she was all but ready to throw the phone down and call it quits until she spotted the girl he was talking about, gold catlike eyes observing her like a piece of meat. Tapping Oghi on the arm and indicating her, Kallen replied, "Yes." Frankly though she was surprised she missed her.

The girl was wearing a white form-fitting jacket with gold trimming and red shoulder pads. Lower down she was wearing what had to be near skin-tight trousers that followed the theme of the top half of her outfit, the gold lining reaching all the way down to the heeled boots that looked to be a part of the item instead of being a separate piece. Her hands were covered by white gloves that vanished beneath the cuffed sleeves of the jacket. Artfully crafted, it was the perfect blend of taste in terms of appearance as well as practicality due to the fact that the outfit was also half body suit. And yet Kallen completely missed her out of the sea of colour out there. _Who the hell are we dealing with? _

Zero wasn't giving her any answers as he simply told her "Follow her out of Tokyo Tower, she will lead you to the Circinate Line and the train on which we will meet." As if she was listening in, the girl in white began to move off, heading for the exit.

"But what about...?" She didn't get to finish her question though as the phone clicked, signalling that he'd hung up on her again, likely disconnecting that one as well. With no other option but to follow, Kallen nodded to Oghi and the others and then headed in their guide's direction. Like Zero though, it seemed that she wasn't one for waiting as she merely started down the stairs to the ground floor without even waiting to see if they were following her. All the same though Kallen managed to catch up with her enough to keep her in sight but far away enough that it didn't look like she was following her, vaguely aware of the door to the floor she'd just left opening and closing telling her that Oghi was walking in her footsteps doing the same thing with her.

As was stated, Zero's accomplice exited FootTown and made her way towards the station, Kallen following her roughly twenty paces away and Oghi following Kallen at that same distance. All the while though, she kept racking her brain, trying to work out two things. One; how did that girl get around without someone taking notice of her clothes? Now that she'd seen her, Kallen couldn't seem to look away, there was so much white. And two; who the hell was she? She couldn't be Zero, whilst a voice could be made to sound male or female with the use of a voice modulator, there wasn't any kind of technology she was aware of that allowed a person to be two places at once. ..._wait a minute._

"_You're good."_

"_Why thank you" a girl's voice spoke over the comm. "I do try my best."_

"_Give me that!"_

"_So who was that? Your girlfriend?"_

_Could she be...?_ The other voice from Shinjuku had been a girl's voice, calm and relaxed...and completely lacking in modesty going by the undercurrent of sarcasm. The outfit the girl ahead of her was wearing seemed to testify to that idea, it put everything on display. Could this be Zero's partner? The one who had gotten him all flustered? Whoever she was the girl didn't stop until she had to at the station.

Seeing her chance, Kallen got in close though making sure it didn't look anything more than one girl chatting with another. "So, is he actually here?" She asked, keeping names out of it for now. If this girl was with Zero, she'd know immediately off the bat who they were referring to.

"He's here." Was all that she gave, a firm yet somewhat impressed tone in her voice as the train came into the station. But that was all that was required to confirm the suspicion that this was the same girl from before who was in that Sutherland in Shinjuku, which meant that they were dealing with the real thing. Glancing back at the other three who were stood a way off, she nodded at their asking looks. Zero was here, and he was waiting for them.

With that in mind, she stepped onto the train as the doors opened, the girl in white following her a second later. At the other end of the compartment Ohgi and the others got on, though Sugiyama went over to the far window and stayed stood up, whilst Yoshida sat himself down in an empty space. As for their leader, he remained by the door, his attention outward. And maybe it was her imagination but the whole compartment seemed rather silent as the train got going, sure there was the odd conversation or two but other than that it felt oddly empty for a small area full of people. Where was the annoying giggle from that bunch of girls about the newest crush on the block? Why wasn't that man with the briefcase in the fancy suit discussing business with the man in the fancy suit and the briefcase next to him? In short, where was the noise?

_Calm down, girl. _She instructed herself firmly, _This is just your nerves getting the better of you again. Nothing's happened yet so there's nothing to worry about. _For some reason that didn't do much to help her relax as she looked around at the eerily quiet passengers again.

Her attention to the strange behaviour was soon sidelined though as something much more important to her came into view. As the name suggested the Circinate line ran along the outside of the Tokyo Settlement...or rather it bordered where the Settlement ended and the ghetto began. On one side there were glistening towers and clean streets, Britannian children on the streets riding their bikes or playing with the latest trending toy. The other side however showed the harsh life Britannia had gone to great lengths to ignore, the decaying ruin of what was left of the real Tokyo, toppled buildings abandoned to all but the most desperate Japanese people, those who couldn't work or were unwanted by their new masters ended up squatting in damp alleys. The difference was absolute, one a paradise, the other a living hell.

"Quite the divide." Kallen almost jumped at the sound of the quiet girl's voice so close and she turned to face her. Her expression was one of calm observation, regarding her as if she were some experiment that was in it's critical phase. However, she might be mistaken, but there seemed to be a spark of familiarity behind those eyes...but she couldn't think of any time when they might have met before and she was pretty sure she'd remember someone as stoic as this. Her attempts to figure out where they could have crossed paths however was interrupted by the phone in her hand as it vibrated again, the '0' ID once again blinking up at her.

Glancing up at Oghi, she waited until he met her eyes and gave an imperceptible nod before she hit 'accept' and held it up to her ear. "What now?" She asked quietly, the question also directed at her silent companion who just responded with a knowing, if slightly amused smile.

Zero however was not as quiet, "Face forward and look to your right." He instructed. "What do you see?"

Glancing to her right, she felt the familiar tightness as she all but glared at the sight "The Britannian settlement," she answered, as controlled as possible "our land and achievements stolen away from us and the corpses of our people buried under their new domain."

"And on the left?"

_What do you want? A list of every last thing that's wrong with this picture? _Nevertheless she turned her gaze left again, taking in the ruins. "I see _our _city, desiccated and violated. The remnants of our life before the Britannian invaders sucked it of its life and pride."

There was a small, almost unintelligible sound on the other end...was he smiling? "A good answer, Ms Kozuki, as is expected of you." Zero practically purred his approval, "Now then, make your way to the front of the train. It's high time we met face to face." And with that, he ended the call.

_He really does like playing mysterious doesn't he? _Looking at his accomplice, who just nodded at the front compartment, Kallen gulped down a breath and headed forwards. It was time to get to the bottom of all this. She noted Oghi's questioning look but she just nodded ahead of her at the forward compartment and headed onwards. The others fell into stride behind her and they all slowly made their way forward.

As she was at the front, it was Kallen who entered the front compartment first...and stopped dead in her tracks as she took in the scene before her. It was completely empty of passengers or luggage, the sheer non-existence of human presence making the small area seem to stretch outward. And stood at the opposite end with his back to them, was a single lone figure wrapped up in a huge black cape with dark gold lining that encircled the head, making it impossible to see who it was at the heart of this little run around.

_Is this him? _

"Zero?" She enquired, trying to keep the unexpected tremor out of her voice. Coming face to face with you helper was one thing, but this guy had made it his business to keep them in the dark for several days. Even then he made a point of showing her first Tokyo Tower and then the Divide. Now here he stood, far away from her and yet seeming to loom over all of them. It was a bit unnerving.

The figure himself however just stood silently, even as the Okubo station neared them, completely implacable, as if waiting for his cue. _A dramatist huh? _As if she didn't know that already.

"Hey!" Sugiyama finally snapped, "She asked you a question! Are you Zero or aren't you?"

As he spoke however, they passed into the upcoming tunnel, the light of the outside vanishing in an instant. And as the light left him, the lone figure turned. There was no face. Instead the four of them were treated to a black, five-horned mask that covered the wearer's entire head. Where there should have been eyes, a nose and a mouth there was an indigo plate, likely made of one-way glass and although she couldn't see them, Kallen had the shaken suspicion that the eyes behind it were assessing each of them with predatory scrutiny. Below the mask was a white cravat that covered up the entire neck and vanished behind the front of the cape, the rest of the body hidden from view.

"Kallen Kozuki." His voice was accompanied with a slightly echoing effect, likely by the use of a modulator built into the mask. "It is an honour to finally meet you in person...Q-1." _That codename! _She was about to speak up about that, but Zero beat her to it, turning his attention to the rest of the group. "Kaname Oghi?" He asked the leader.

She heard Oghi's hesitant stutter but he quickly got it under control "Uh, yeah that's me."

"I understand you are the one who took over from Naoto Kozuki after his unfortunate end." Just like when Lelouch had uttered that name, the group let out an unconscious gasp at hearing that name come from a complete stranger. "From what I have come to know about him, he was a good man and someone I very much wish I could have met. Someone like him might understand what I wished to show you with my little tour of the city."

"Tour?"

"Oh please," Sugiyama's disbelieving voice sounded out somewhere behind her, "gimme a break, there's no way this guy did it."

"I wanted to make sure that you truly understood what it is you were fighting by reminding you of the difference." He clarified, extending his right arm outwards, revealing a dark purple jacket identical to his partner's white one "The differences between the Settlement," and then his left arm came up in much the same manner as the first, unveiling the rest of him, "and the Ghetto."

"We're well aware of the difference," Oghi replied firmly, so far sounding unimpressed as he stepped forward. "Its a harsh one that's ruined millions of lives, not just here but all over Japan. And that is why we resist them."

"Wrong." Was the simple, yet harsh reply. "Or, more accurately, half-wrong. It is indeed a noble goal to stand up for the weak, to protect those who cannot protect themselves. That mindset is one of the reasons why I chose you."

_Chose us? _Kallen wondered to herself, no doubt that question now ringing in all their heads as they listened to this faceless man. _Chose us for what? Does this guy think he's some sort of big-shot leader? This isn't a business meeting, we were supposed to be getting answers!_

"Nevertheless," Zero's arms dropped back down, his body vanishing as the cape dropped around him like giant bat wings, "if you continue to operate as you have done so far, Britannia will never fall. Though your cause is just, Britannia will use the media to label you as terrorists, ostracising you from the world and painting you as monsters."

"That's a price we knew we'd have to pay when we joined up." Oghi replied, though Kallen noted that his hands had balled into fists as Zero's words hit home, bringing out the frustration they were all feeling in fighting this losing battle of theirs. "But what other choice is there if we want to be free?"

"And is it not possible that the people of Britannia wish for the same thing?" The masked man asked, his arms folding underneath the cape. "They are just as much birds trapped in a cage as the Japanese, the only difference is that the bars are less clear."

"Bullshit!" Yoshida shouted, furious at the idea of them and the Britannians having anything in common, "You expect us to believe that those bastards give a damn about any of the crap we've been through?!"

The sentiment was shared with Sugiyama who was snapping something equally angry at Zero, but Kallen was suddenly reminded of Lelouch and his story of him and Nunnally. Was that what Zero was getting at? Was he saying that they'd been fighting the wrong people? But then who were they supposed to be fighting if not the Britannians?

"Perhaps you misunderstand me." He interrupted their protests, "Right now, the Britannian people believe you to be terrorists who are responsible for the murder of their viceroy and prince, Clovis la Britannia. If you act as you have done, then their suspicions will be proven right and the status quo will remain unchanged. If you wish to change the world then you must make the world itself want to change." Then his arms slithered out of the cape, extended towards them as if raking them into his clutches, "If you wish to end the suffering of Japan, then you must discard your petty hatred and fight for justice!"

_Petty! _Now that really was going too far, "Oh come on!" Kallen snapped, stepping forward to stand beside Oghi, "You expect us to believe that line? What was all that you said to me then when you set up this meeting?"

"I never said anything about the destruction of the Britannian people." Zero stated calmly, "My enemy is Britannia itself. Not the country but its foundation, its ideologies...its _Emperor."_ And now there was real venom in his voice, becoming even more chilling as the modulator's echo gave it some sort of extra unseen force that struck them all speechless. However, he recovered himself quickly and continued, "It must be the same with you. Otherwise you will forever be fighting an endless war because the people are manipulated into believing whatever Britannia wants them to believe."

"That's easy enough to say, hiding behind that mask." Sugiyama retorted bitterly, folding his arms in a dismissive pose. "Why don't you take it off and say it to my face?"

That sentiment was backed up by Yoshida who added his demand for Zero to remove the mask. Kallen would be lying if she wasn't curious to see who was hiding behind that blank glass, how could they take anything this man before them told them seriously if he hid his identity from them? And more to the fact, what did he mean by saying their enemy was Britannia? Wasn't the country and its people the same thing? Then again...Lelouch was ready to throw in with this man because of what happened to Nunnally...but he had to have seen what the people of Britannia were like so why would he join someone who, it seemed, didn't agree with him? _Maybe if he showed his face I'd have a better idea of what kind of fight this guy wants to lead us in._ She shared a glance at Oghi, and he nodded in understanding at the look she sent him. They were either going to see this person's face, or they were getting off at the next station. Turning his attention back to Zero, he asked him, "Well? Are you gonna take it off?"

"If you know his face will it make any difference?" The light mocking air of the tone behind them all caught their attention. When did she get there? The girl in white leaned against the doors of the first compartment to the one behind it, arms folded, a disappointed look in her eyes. "A face is just a face, skin and blood and eyes. It cannot prove the point of the person who makes the statement, nor can it prove his incompetence. What is unmistakeable though, is deeds."

_Deeds?_

"I was hoping I could introduce you all to my partner properly once I had lain out the requirements for my audition." Was she imagining it, or was that a touch of exasperation in Zero's tone that she heard as the green-haired beauty swept by them to stand at his side? Although by the way that she had just spoken, practically talking down to them as if they were a bunch of children, Kallen supposed she could understand his feelings on the matter. Who did she think she was, belittling them like that? However, if he was annoyed with his so-called partner, it vanished quickly however as if this was some formal meeting or something "Allow me to formally introduce you to my companion, and partner in all things, C.C."

_C.C? Interesting codename. _

"As for my mask...did I not tell you already, Ms Kozuki? It matters not who is underneath. My actions will speak for me."

_Actions that you haven't taken yet. _She thought to herself suspiciously, noting that Okubo was only a minute out now. _If you think saving us once means that we're just going to do as you say, you're about to be four short._

It seemed however that the didn't intend on keeping them for much longer anyway. "To that end we come to my audition. Tomorrow, the Honorary Britannian soldier, Private Suzaku Kururugi, is to be taken to a court marshal for the assassination of Clovis la Britannia. We would see him released, as well as the true events of Shinjuku made public. However, in order to accomplish this task, we need your help."

That was when the lightbulb turned on. _Now I get it...he planned to announce himself as the real killer all along. They even dressed for the occasion. _Kallen noted wryly, eyeing their identical outfits. The other pieces started falling into place as she realised why Lelouch had chosen to reveal himself as an informant for these two. _We're probably the only group they've had any contact with so it made sense to bring us in to help with whatever they've got planned._

"Why save him?" Yoshida asked, still sounding suspicious, "Even if he didn't kill Clovis, he abandoned his nation and jumped on the Britannia bandwagon. Why should we save a traitor like that?"

That statement got an immediate reaction out of their petitioner. It was small but still noticeable as Zero's head dipped very slightly, and a tension that hadn't been there before suddenly entered his limbs. Was he actually angry? "We are saving him because he is an innocent man, and also as a personal favour to a comrade of ours. Ms Kozuki should know him quite well by now."

It only took her a moment to realise who he was talking about and another piece of the puzzle clicked into place. "You're talking about Lelouch." She said out loud, remembering the damn near murderous look in the Britannian boy's eyes from two days ago as he wheeled his crying sister out of the clubhouse ballroom. "That's where he was yesterday. He knew going to the courts wouldn't do anything so he went to you instead."

"Correct." He nodded slightly, his tone calm, but his body still tight. "Mr Lamperouge and Private Kururugi are old friends, though they haven't seen each other for some time now. They crossed paths in Shinjuku and it would seem their friendship is still as strong as ever." If he was looking to startle the other three who were unaware of this fact, he'd achieved his goal. A Britannian friends with a Japanese boy? Ridiculous.

The same look of surprise had been on the faces of the Student Council, Kallen's included, when Nunnally had begged her brother to find some way to help him...except, she noted, for Milly Ashford who'd had a somewhat considerate look. Her shock had come from Lelouch's anger rather than anything about cross-culture friendships.

"If you help us rescue this innocent man from an undeserved fate, against all odds..." there was definitely the return of a grin in that voice of his, even if she couldn't see his face, "then maybe you'll be more open to the idea of working with us."

And then the tunnel ended, blasting out into sunlight. The PA announcing the imminent arrival at Okubo seemed to break everyone out of their captive stupor and suddenly realise that they were talking with a guy in a Halloween costume. Snorting at the dramatic bullshit, Yoshida and Sugiyama turned around and headed back into the second compartment, it looked like they'd come to a crackpot convention.

As for herself, Kallen was unsure. Zero made a lot of talk about justice and fighting the 'real enemy' but by the sound of it he just wanted to stick it to the Emperor. You could do that just fine by defacing a few statues or throwing egg at him in the streets, you didn't need to put on a crazy outfit and call for what sounded like a one...well, two-person crusade. And what was with that mask? Even if he somehow managed to correct the empire's assumptions of Clovis' murder, how did that prove that his identity wasn't important? And what about the girl, C.C? What did that even stand for? Were they really as open minded as they said they were about Britannians and Japanese? Or was this a smokescreen and the two, no _three _of them (Lelouch was in on this as well after all) were just using her and the others for their own means?

Whatever the case though, and whatever his thoughts were on the matter, it appeared Oghi still had a question that he wanted answering. "How do we know you'll actually try to help Kururugi? What's to stop you from simply killing us and letting him die?"

"We shall ask the same of you." C.C unexpectedly responded. "This joint endeavour will succeed or fail depending on whether we are able to trust one another. Just remember this: If we fail we consign an innocent man to die." Her words were met with a chuckle from her partner, causing her look up at him with a small pout. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just that I couldn't have put it better myself." Then Zero addressed the remaining pair, "If you wish to fight for something more than a faded memory, then meet us in Shinjuku Ghetto and be ready for a night full of work."

* * *

**Tokyo Settlement  
****Okubo Station**

**The Masked Knight and the White Lady**

"Well," C.C muttered as they watched their sceptical possible allies depart, "that went well." She finished sarcastically.

Zero however shook his head, "On the contrary," he replied, reaching up to remove the mask from his face, "it went exactly as I expected it would. Remember at this point they're still little more than terrorists, they don't have any reason to believe the world can change." _Something __we can work on changing once I've proven myself to them. _He thought to himself as the back plating retracted allowing him to remove the black headgear from his face.

The performance went about as well as could have been honestly expected, the small modifications he'd made to allow for C.C's earlier presence notwithstanding. Still it had a nice touch, the black and white look. So many different symbolic images could be drawn up from such a distinction: Day and Night, Light and Dark, Good and Evil. It was a bit silly and he didn't doubt that he wasn't the only one feeling a bit ridiculous playing to the crowd in such a way. You wouldn't find two people more aware of the shades of grey in life than Lelouch and C.C. Still, people loved their colour coding so maybe it would help draw attention.

"By the way," he asked as he sat down on the front seat of the compartment, "how did you get by without drawing any attention?"

"Oh, come now, my boy." She replied, flicking his nose as she dropped into his lap. "A girl needs some secrets."

"That just means the story is embarrassing and makes me want to know more." He winced at the sound of his own voice. Did he really just _whine _about not knowing something? He'd complained about it sometimes, gotten annoyed about it, but Lelouch had never _whined. What is this woman doing to me?_

Whatever it was she was doing, C.C was content to keep it up, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him the last distance towards her. "Too bad." She whispered against him, before capturing his lips in a chaste kiss which he quickly returned.

Once she was sure she'd done away with his desire to know how she'd managed to keep the lecherous eyes off of every living creature with a Y-chromosome off of her, which Lelouch could testify she most certainly had, C.C had a question of her own to ask. "Why did you hit them with the 'fighting for a memory' line? I thought we weren't going to use that unless it looked like we were losing them."

That line had been devised to get them thinking about Naoto. Whilst it was true that Oghi's group was fighting for the right reasons, there was still a very wrong one in there. Whether they knew it or not, they were making the same mistake as the JLF: They believed there was still time for the old Japan to be restored. The fact of the matter was they were stuck in the past, fighting for an era that had been and gone. That was not the path of progress, that path had only one direction – forward. From what Lelouch understood, that had not been the goal of Naoto Kozuki when he began resisting Britannia, he had been fighting for a future for his sister, and all of his friends, not for a past that couldn't be reclaimed. _He really is someone I would've liked to meet._ He realised with a start. _A shame I'll only ever know him through his sister._

But the fact of the matter remained...

"We were losing them." Lelouch replied, his worry on the situation slipping through, "Last time they all stuck together until we reached the station, then I allowed them to disembark...this time Sugiyama and...who was that other one?"

"Yoshida. He died in the Black Rebellion."

"Right, well, anyway this time they both left. And Oghi looked like he might have done the same if our answer hadn't been satisfactory. He might show up thanks to your input but..." he shook his head, bringing a black-gloved hand up to massage his brow. Had he just created two more problems to deal with? Or maybe three? "I just don't know. Things are changing, the ripples are growing, not so bad that I think that we can't correct them but..."

"But it only takes one rock to set off a landslide." She finished for him, removing his black hand from his head and replacing them with her own white thumbs, gently rubbing them against his temples. "You must be careful about including me in your plans, especially your early ones. I wasn't known to the Black Knights until we got Kyoto's full support. That alone changes things." A small frown creased her brow and she stopped her ministrations. "Maybe I shouldn't be involved in events, at least not until Narita," she assured him when his expression became alarmed, "you'll have less variables to account for and it would make it easier on yourse-"

"Stop talking." He knew he was pushing it, ordering her about like this, but her words were starting to piss him off. Before she could take offence to his blunt instruction, he placed a hand over her mouth, ignoring the muffled indignant shout that caused.

Once she'd quieted, he looked her dead in the eyes "Cera, you and I are partners in this. That means your input is just as important to me as my own in this war. That part was not for show, or to put forth a united front, or anything strategic in order for them to understand our plight. It was the absolute, unvarnished truth. You are my partner in this war and in my life."

He knew he was coming very close to that very dangerous line but Lelouch honestly didn't know how else to get her to understand. Going by the stunned look on her face that was now softening to one of silent gratitude and compassion, maybe he had. "I'm going to remove my hand from your mouth now," he told her, "and I don't want to hear any more of cutting yourself out of our planning sessions." Taking a silent breath, he let his hand drop away and waited for her to rail at him.

She was silent for a moment, probably collecting all the words she could think of to throw at him so she could hurl them all at him at once. Instead though she just sighed a long sigh and leant back against him. "Because that was sweet of you, I'll let it slide this time." She murmured lightly, a smile clear in her voice. "Try that again though," a finger suddenly shot up in front of his face "and you'll be sleeping on the floor for a week."

"Duly noted." He replied, chuckling a little before lying back in his seat content to let himself get some rest. They were safe from people entering this compartment thanks to him using his Geass on the driver to keep all but the back door locked, and there was little worry of the Geass'd passengers in the second compartment coming in here until they reached their stops. As such he was content to take a short nap in his Zero outfit without anyone disturbing them. It wasn't like he was wearing his mask.

And besides, it was a long way to Shinjuku.

* * *

**Ugh...going to get some sleep now. Too tired to be witty.  
Zero's on the scene. Yaaay...  
Nighty night.  
Orange gets it next chapter.**


	8. Turn 7 Orange Juiced

**Woohoo! In the time between this chapter's completion and the last one, the number of followers hit one hundred! This calls for a speech of joy. What's that? I can't use lines from the series as my own stuff? Oh what're you gonna do? Cut me o-  
Admin: We regret to inform the termination of Tahkaullus01's acc-**  
**(Gawain appears out of nowhere and blasts Admin to atoms with Hadron Cannons)  
They just crawl out of the woodwork!  
****Anyway...**

* * *

**Chapter 7  
****Orange Juiced**

**Shinjuku Ghetto  
****Junkyard**

**The Masked Knight, the White Lady, The Red Queen, and the Deputy**

The sun was setting by the time they arrived, and Lelouch cursed his out of character laziness for staying in his Zero outfit. It had taken a fully Geass'd crowd to forget they ever saw them to get out of there without incident, something C.C thrilled in pointing out for the duration of the journey to the junkyard. So as can be imagined, he was a bit testy when they finally arrived.

"A cramped Sutherland, the confines of a front compartment in an outfit that is nearly plastered to my skin, and now a junkyard." She listed off casually to herself before smirking at him teasingly, "I must say, Mr Lamperouge, you _really_ know how to show a girl a good time."

"Give it a rest, Witch." He muttered pettily as he slipped the mask back on as well as get cape wrapped about him again. This strange behaviour of his was beginning to cost him his effectiveness, something he couldn't afford in the middle of an operation. _So I had better get a hold of myself before I get somebody killed._ He thought to himself as they found what they were looking for. A little beat up maybe, but a bit of a polish down and some sticking back together and the 'poison gas' canister would look as good as new.

_So many paths started with this thing..._it had held C.C for however long it had been before that mad chase into Shinjuku, where it had opened up and deposited her into his arms. It's capture had resulted in the crossing paths of him and Suzaku again, an event that he'd almost given up on ever happening until his war with Britannia was going in force. It set him and Kallen on a collision course with each other when he slipped into the terrorists' truck and got stuck in there. And now it was going to play a role in his affairs one last time.

Hearing C.C clear her throat, he looked up. To his great relief he saw it was the same people as before, Kallen and Oghi, stood before them looking a bit confused as to what he had in store for them. "I see..." He spoke into the voice modulator's mic, revelling again in the nostalgia it brought him, though outwardly he kept his tone aloof and critical "Just you two."

"I'm sorry." Oghi apologised, "We just need a bit more time to spread the idea around. If more people understood what we planned to..."

"That won't be necessary." C.C cut across him, assertive and to the point. "You two are all that's required to make this work."

"What?!" The redhead snapped incredulously, a look that didn't seem to inspire the same sort of thrill he usually got out of seeing Kallen Kozuki come out due to her Stadtfelt hairstyle. "You're kidding! There'll be too many of them! We can't fight them and get Kururugi out of there all by ourselves!"

"We won't be fighting anyone." Zero stated, "That was never our intent. We will be negotiating a transfer, but for that to be possible," he pointed at the pieces of the container, "I'll need this put back into one solid unit again and placed on top of that." His hand wondered across the mass of broken cars and thrown out house appliances and rested his finger on a beaten and battered truck. "We're going to disguise it as Clovis' personal transport. If we work on it through the night, we should be ready by the afternoon..."

Needless to say, they both had numerous questions and complaints. Rather than list them all, it is simply easier to state that, as Zero, he was able to deflect most of them with the same mix of charm and authority that he had done the first time round. And so, with a measure of grumbling and reluctance, Kallen and Oghi got to work on getting the required components for a working engine together, C.C overlooking their work with a cursory eye. As for himself, he slipped away to watch from the sidelines. However it wouldn't have been the proto-Black Knights if there was loyalty to their comrades lacking. As moonlight overtook sunlight, Zero soon spotted the rest of the Kozuki resistance group appear on the scene.

The only other female member of the group, a long indigo haired woman who's name he remembered was Inoue, was the first to arrive on the scene. Once she understood the task the two of them were faced with, the future logistics officer of the Black Knights began overseeing the situation, instructing them on what should go where and in which order they should complete certain tasks. Soon after her was Sugiyama, looking a bit guilty. He'd never asked why the doubter had showed up last time, hadn't cared either, all that mattered was he had another body that he could use. This time though he found himself curious as to what brought the sceptical bluenette back...though if he guessed, Zero suspected it had something to do with the indigo haired woman who was now telling him to get his ass going and find Kallen something for the other something that he didn't understand anything about. He was a commander not a engineer. How Inoue kept it all straight in her head was beyond him, and he was a child prodigy._ Guess that just goes with the territory, _he supposed as the dummy car started to take shape.

Deciding that he'd hidden long enough once Yoshida arrived, Zero returned to 'inspect' their progress. "I see things are coming along smoothly." He observed, stifling a chuckle when everyone bar C.C jumped to attention.

"Z-Zero!" Kallen stuttered, trying to calm herself down. "We've got the truck going." She reported, indicating the doppelgänger which was already starting to look like his half-brother's transport. "Still if anyone gets close enough to see..."

"It won't be an issue." He assured her, knowing she was referring to the wrecked dials and the missing cushions, not to mention the tape job they'd had to do with the wind-shield. "As long as it looks like Clovis' transport from a distance, we won't have a problem."

"All the same," C.C considered, sat in the driver's seat and honking the horn much to the consternation of many "it could do with a bit of an airing out."

"It'll all be taken care of C.C." He repeated, smiling a little bit at her behaviour before turning to have a look at the 'gas' canister. "How's that coming along?"

Looking up at the object of their temporary ally's scrutiny, and still clearing out his ears, Oghi told him. "It still needs the top part and the pipe added on, but I still don't understand why we need it. Seeing a poison gas container is only going to cause a panic."

"You assume of course that the people know what the canister looks like." Zero pointed out, the next step in his plan to help them understand him laid out at last. When he noted the group's none-plussed expression, he simply waved them off. "Jeremiah is the one we need to convince. Everyone else is just part of the audience."

* * *

**Ashford Academy  
****Student Council Building, Lelouch's Room**

**The Witch and the Warlock**

"You gave them quite some food for thought." C.C noted as they did away with their costumes at last behind a locked door, Zero's mask lying on the desk. The rest of the outfit went back into the carrier and then hung up in his closet, for all the world looking like an evening suit that Lelouch never had an occasion to wear. She however was less pragmatic, dropping the articles of her outfit anywhere and everywhere until she was down to her underwear and safely wrapped up in the bedsheets. All the same, even as she watched her Warlock clear up after her muttering like an abused housemaid, the observation she made was a serious one that they needed to discuss. "You intend to explain your Geass to them this time." It wasn't a question.

Slowing in his work but not stopping, Lelouch nodded as he hung up her jacket, "You said it yourself, half the reason the Black Knights turned on me was because Schneizel twisted the facts about Geass." He pointed out, and he may have tried to hide it but she spotted his displeasure of mentioning his half-brother's name. It would seem he still held a grudge against the second prince for his role in that event, but she knew that grudge was nothing compared to his own regrets, "Because I held out on the facts, he was able to convince them that the only power Geass has is that of Absolute Obedience. If I'm going to keep them by my side, I need to stop holding my cards so close to my chest."

"And the other half?"

"My own actions." He replied stiffly, "At the Geass Order's HQ, I went against everything the Black Knights were supposed to stand for..." There had been no quarter given in that battle, he hadn't allowed it. Shirley's death had still been ripe in his mind, the victim of an assassin who's mission was to keep him under wraps...and a pawn under his control. Sometimes Lelouch wondered if he shouldn't have just killed Rolo when he'd had the chance in the security hub, but he'd been curious and wanted to know his enemy so he let the boy live. _And all it cost me was the heart of the Student Council and the trust of my subordinates. _He couldn't help thinking bitterly. Then again, Rolo had been useful in obtaining information, as well as giving him the inside scoop on how things were developing in the empire. And when the betrayal had been implemented, it had been the actions of the tool that saved Lelouch's own life at the cost of his own. Shaking his head, he put that troubling issue to one side, _another problem for another time. _He'd deal with the boy assassin when and if he appeared.

Sighing to himself he went back to picking up the rest of his partner's outfit, the lower half joined the top part on it's hanger and was returned to the carrier, placed alongside its partner and safely stored away from Sayako's inspection that she thought he didn't know about. "And then there's you." He continued, "I'm going to have to tell them something. Might as well give them the truth...or a sort of truth."

"So you are going to tell them about the Code-R experiments?" Whilst what Bartley's people had done to her had been truly horrific, something she'd had nightmares about up till the Black Rebellion, C.C had mixed feelings on letting the others in. "That could have dire implications later if we set out to stop them. Best case scenario, we prevent Jeremiah's Geass Canceller. Worst case..."

"We make ourselves known to V.V and the Emperor." He finished for her, joining her under the covers and pulling her as close as he dared. "As much as I hate to admit it, we might have no choice but to let them go. As good as Rakshata is, I doubt she has the knowledge to construct a better defence than the contact lenses you made and we only know that that prevents the use of my Geass." He tactfully chose to keep the name of the man they'd be serving up as a sacrifice to the Code-R experiment seeing as, in less than a day's time, he'd have his credibility in question, his reputation in tatters and, if Lelouch played his hand right, even Jeremiah himself would be asking the question of whether or not his loyalty was in the right place. Not that it would immediately swing him to Zero's side, but it had the potential to set him on that path. But that was another factor to mull around over later, so he put it out of his mind choosing instead to focus on the immediate issue. "I don't want the Knights thinking of you as just 'Zero's Mistress' again." He told her frankly.

"Why not?" She asked blankly, keeping any sort of tell out of her tone. "You didn't have a problem with it last time."

"I didn't think it mattered to correct them." He admitted with a small shrug. "But this time, you should at least have as much pull with the group as I did."

To his surprise though, she just laughed lightly and turned to face him fully, "You worry too much about me, boy." She chastised him gently, gracing him with a small peck on his chin. "It's sweet, but unnecessary." When he tried to protest she merely placed a finger to his lips in a similar fashion to what he'd done yesterday. "Who do you think lead the Black Knights after Suzaku captured you? Tamaki?" It hadn't been an easy ten months, but she had done her bit in holding what was left of them together. "You're not the only one who can charm the masses, I can hold my own in that crowd." Keeping her finger on his lips for a moment she effected a stern voice as she told him "I'm going to remove this now, when I do I don't want to hear any more worries over me. Understood?" She asked, unable to hide the amused smile that took over her lips as she saw his brows narrow in annoyance at having his own words thrown back at him.

Rolling his eyes at her as she finally let his mouth go, Lelouch had only one thing to say to her "Witch."

And she returned, while leaning up to meet him "And you absolutely love it."

Needless to say, further planning was put on indefinite hold...

* * *

**Tokyo Settlement  
****Holding Cell**

**The White Knight**

Strange how one's luck can turn around at the drop of a hat. Three days ago he'd been a part of the Camelot A.S.E.E.C project, working on the newest Knightmare Frame of the Empire with a decent team of people, a friendly assistant who actually gave a damn about him, and a head scientist – an Earl at that – who openly stated he didn't care who he'd been before joining the military. It had felt like a dream come true. And then the other shoe dropped in the form of the Pureblood leader Jeremiah Gottwald and his fanatical cronies accusing him of assassinating Prince Clovis. Before Suzaku knew it, he'd been thrown in a cell for a day whilst the interrogators shot him with every question in the manual, along with a little corporal encouragement to get him to tell the truth. It was amazing that the make up they'd stuck on him when they showed him off to the crowd had actually held up, though it was kind of ruined when the guy forcing him along whacked him in the face.

Then he'd been thrown in front of another spotlight where the ringleader himself showed him a pistol he'd never seen before that had apparently been the one to kill the Prince. What he seemed to be ignoring was the fact that, as he was an _Honorary _Britannian he wasn't even allowed inside the command centre, let alone hold a gun. Not that it seemed to matter as the aching in his legs would testify.

_They can't find the real killer so they'll pin it on the guy getting special treatment. _Suzaku couldn't help the feelings of bitterness that certain fact brought him. He wasn't a fool, there was no possible evidence to support the claims that he killed Prince Clovis in Shinjuku. The data from the Lancelot would confirm that if they even bothered to have a look at the Knightmare's records. It had been between 1700 hours and 1800 that the Prince was killed, Suzaku didn't even head back until 2000, when he was sure there weren't any rogue Sutherlands left trying to cause any more chaos.

On the subject of Sutherlands however, he couldn't help but notice how...unorganised they'd suddenly become upon his arrival. According to Cécile, the enemy had been dominating them since Laszlo team fell apart, luring them into carefully lain traps, using the terrain to their advantage, or simply letting that red Glasgow loose on them. The only conclusion was that they had an experienced commander directing the groups, who was ruthless in the execution of his plans and knew the area like the back of his hand. But once the Lancelot was active the group fell into chaos. Had the commander abandoned them?

There was no doubt in his mind that whoever was leading that terrorist group was the one responsible for Prince Clovis' murder. But to abandon your own people to their demise just to suit your own goal? _It's despicable. _If he wasn't about to be found guilty of the murder himself, Suzaku would likely be out there looking for the killer personally. Not because he pretended to hold any love for the crown, but because the action had been a cowardly act of betrayal of the people the enemy commander had been leading. _If you don't care about the people who follow you then what right do you have to be called a leader?_

Still, there wasn't much he could do about it here, trussed up in a white straight-jacket, beaten black and blue, without even so much as a chamber pot. _Even the ghetto has better accommodations than this. _

It seemed though that he wouldn't be going without someone coming to see him. Though Suzaku had to admit he hadn't expected Lloyd of all people to come down here, where there _wasn't _a Knightmare to play with. _Guess he likes me more than I thought._ He considered ruefully as the grinning Earl took a seat on the stool provided for him.

"Looks like you've been enjoying the hospitality of Britannia." The older man noted wryly, indicating the bruises all over his face. "Quite inefficient if you ask me. What if their lives suddenly depend upon you and you're too broken to do anything about it?"

_If this is his way of making me feel better..._ Nevertheless, it was good to have anyone to talk to again. Talking to yourself could become so incredibly dull. "Maybe I should file a complaint." Suzaku replied, feeling himself smirk a bit. "I'm actually a bit shocked seeing you here though."

"Oh come now!" The bespectacled man's smile didn't leave him for a moment, making any offence he may have taken look like a mere act. "I owe you at least this much. Your input has put Lancelot's credibility through the roof! My white knight wouldn't have the backing that it does now if it weren't for your data!"

_Of course that's why he's here. _He fought the urge to roll his eyes at the predictable man. "I guess you can't get me out of this?"

"Sorry, afraid my pull is in machines and computers. People just confuse me." Lloyd shrugged, although there was a hint regret behind those glasses. "You at least get a trial I suppose, the Margrave isn't going to just kill you and ignore proper protocol..."

"So the killer hasn't been found yet?"

"Nobody's looking for one. As far as anyone's concerned you did it and they're set to see you hang for it. Honestly," Lloyd scoffed, folding his arms and staring at something Suzaku couldn't see...although he suspected his short-time boss was the only one who could see it. "these Purebloods and their ridiculous ideals. They think they're perfect because they're full Britannian? Go back a few generations to before the Humiliation and let's see if there's not some French in them somewhere."

"Careful," Suzaku warned, though he couldn't help chuckling at the image of Kewel finding out he had some frogs-legs in the family somewhere. "that kind of talk could end up with you on the other side of this glass."

But the engineer just shrugged, his sardonic grin in place once more. "I appreciate the thought Private, but I doubt the Margrave has _that_ kind of pull just yet."

Their chat came to an end however as somewhere out of his sight, the door to the holding cells was shoved open and several armed soldiers filed in. Unlike the last bunch who'd come in for some fun, Suzaku doubted that was the reason they were here. For starters they were acting too professional for that, though that could have been because Lloyd was still around. They opened the cell and the one in front grabbed him by the front of his straight-jacket.

"Time to go, you urban monkey."

_Yeah, _he supposed as they dragged him out, _I guess it is. _Still, there was one more thing he wanted to say. "Lloyd!" The engineer looked up at his name, "Thanks. It was only for a short time, but thank you for letting me be a part of the Lancelot project."

Lloyd stood stunned for a moment, as if he wasn't used to people actually acting grateful around him, before he smoothed himself out and smiled. "Not at all my boy. Thank you for the data."

And with that last exchange, Suzaku was pulled out of the cell block and out onto a short corridor.

Oddly enough, they didn't take him to the usual dispatch hangar but instead he was lead down a completely different corridor. Once he figured out where he was going though, he had to bite back a curse. In his two years in the military as an Honorary Britannian, he'd committed the barracks to memory from the sleeping quarters to the Knightmare hangar. The path he was being lead in now though would come out at neither of those and it hit home just how far Gottwald was going to stamp out the Japanese element in Britannia. _But doesn't he realise that the only way the Empire will survive is with voluntary aid from the native community? _This was one of the many things he had hoped he'd eventually be able to change once he'd gotten high enough in rank. If he'd had the ear of someone with proper power, he could effect the empire in a way that military force never could. Britannia was too large for that. The only way it could be stopped was by working with the system, at least for now. It would seem though that the empire wanted nothing to do with change though as he was soon shown.

At last they pulled him into a different hangar, the one he'd been furious to realise was the one they intended to take him through. It wasn't military at all. It was the public sector's hangar, often used by Prince Clovis to as well as other esteemed officers during their public parades. The whole set up before him reminded Suzaku of just that, a parade for the killer of the royal prince. They even had a stand for him on top of an ATT and a Sutherland guard. If he didn't know what this was all for he'd actually feel a little bit chuffed.

Gottwald was there, barking orders to the rest of the Purebloods. When he saw the arrival of the guest of honour, Suzaku spotted a small smirk crease his face. It quickly slipped away as he turned to his two subordinates. "Right then, let's get this convoy on the move."

The two stood with him, a dark-skinned woman with silver hair, and a blond that he remembered from before, Lord Kewel, saluted him and then headed for their Knightmares. Kewel however couldn't resist a passing shot. "Be happy, Eleven." He told Suzaku as he was led up to his open transport. "You're about to go down in history."

_Yeah, as the guy that shot your mouth off, you prejudiced ass! _He kept his opinion of the Pureblood to himself though as he was forced to sit down, a shock collar fixed around his neck to keep him from speaking out. _Guess they don't want their party to be interrupted._ Not that there really was anything that he wanted to say anyway.

And so, head ducked down, he felt the rumble of the transport starting up and was soon met with the open road, the lights of the Settlement flittering around him. It was almost nice to look at, until he saw the people glaring up at him. More than one yell of 'murderer!' reached his ears, along with 'ape! Coward! Stinking Eleven!' and a few more, less than polite ones. Still it would seem that the whole procession was going to be like this so he sucked in a breath and had a look around. Sutherlands stood here and there acting as a barrier to keep the patriotic crowd from getting at him...Sutherlands that all had dark red shoulder plates.

_So the Purebloods are running this entire show. _Suzaku thought to himself, feeling an unusual sense of relief. _Then this crowd is just the silent Pureblood support, they don't represent Britannia as a whole. Then there's still a chance! This nation can be saved! _In that case, even if he was marked for death, at least he'd go knowing that there was still a chance of someone one day influencing the nation of Britannia to become a better place for everyone.

His tiny smile wasn't noticed by anyone.

But it was wiped away when the convoy suddenly came to an abrupt halt at Gottwald's order, the Margrave himself peering out at something ahead of them. Risking a glance, Suzaku peered up and was shocked at what he saw.

There, coming up over the rise, was Prince Clovis' car.

* * *

**Tokyo Settlement  
****The Dummy Car**

**The Masked Knight**

"Voices of scorn, growing ever louder," the over-the-top acting of the voice over commentator was almost too much for him to bear as he watched the procession on his hand-held T.V. "voices bearing testament to a people's love of their prince raining their judgement down on a terrorist."

_The day Suzaku commits an act of terrorism is the day I lose a chess game on purpose._ He thought to himself as he turned the stupid thing off and slipped the mask back on, safe behind the burn-away flag that hid him from his chauffeur's vision. "I've heard enough." He muttered into the comm. "Let's get a move on."

Kallen's reply came in the form of the fake car driving forward, a bit sluggishly and the ride was terrible but then it was only a prop. A good actor makes do with what he has, besides he had more than one objective to complete this time. Once Jeremiah refused to release Suzaku, Zero's plan would begin in earnest. Until then, he might as well take a seat.

Deciding that a really good way to piss the Purebloods off would be to be seen seated in a throne of his own making, they'd hastily put together a chair for him to sit in. It was simple and lacked anything that would stick in memory, but the image of someone mocking the royal prerogative would stick in people's minds for days to come. It would also have the benefit of openly insulting the royal family by acting so cavalier, not even bothering to stand up for the occasion.

By sitting down, legs crossed, the message would be clear: Zero wasn't afraid of Britannia. But more than that it would say that Zero thought Britannia was beneath his notice. If that didn't infuriate at least Jeremiah then the man he was dealing with was not the Orange Knight.

_It's a shame Cera couldn't be with me for the opening act. _He lamented momentarily, recalling how they'd decided it was too risky to reveal her to the public just yet. There were too many possible ways that could come back to bite them later to justify his White Lady standing with him. _I suppose I'll just have to find a way to make it up to her. _Sighing, Zero lay his head back against the chair. _My room is either going to smell of cheese for a month or I'm going to drown in the sea of clothes she's sure to buy. _

"Zero?" Kallen's voice came over the comm. coinciding with the bumpy right coming to a momentary halt. "We've reached the barricade, they aren't letting us pass."

_And so we begin. _"Tell them what I told you to, Ms Kozuki." He instructed, "Jeremiah Gottwald loves a show."

"O-okay." The doubt was clear in her voice, but he knew her well enough to know she'd play ball for now. No one could ever say that Kallen wouldn't try something at least once. His prediction was proven correct as, after a brief pause, the rumbling and rattling started again.

All that remained now was for them to get within striking distance. _Hmm...wonder what Diethard's boys __are making of this. _He wasn't naïve, this amount of spectacle, as well as just the right kind of people to show support for the Purebloods and disdain for Suzaku and the 'Elevens' as a whole could only be the work of his former Secretary for Media and Intel. And before his demotion, Diethard had been at the top. _Or should I say _'is'_ at the top,' seeing as that demotion hasn't happened yet. _Coming to the conclusion that he didn't give a damn about the Britannian broadcaster one way or the other, Zero picked up the Hand-held and switched it back on.

The screen showed their target had come to a stop, Jeremiah no doubt having gotten the message about their arrival. As a side note, the commentator was keeping up his melodramatic rambling "This is not a scheduled stop. Could there have been some sort of accident?"

"This is site 5." A thankfully more level voice cut in. "We have eyes on an approaching vehicle."

_Lights, camera..._and then the scene cut to a side shot of theirprop driving along..._action. _

From a distance it really did look like Clovis' car, the camera unable to pick up the cut-and-paste job or the messy coat of paint, things that would be obvious to the naked eye covered up by the flare of light and an unsteady mount.

"It...it's Prince Clovis' personal transport!" The dramatic commentator was back, "And it's headed straight for the cavalcade!"

That it was. The convoy didn't take long to enter the shot, Jeremiah himself at the front aboard his Sutherland. "You dare desecrate his Highness's transport!?" The soon-to-be-ex-Margrave furiously bellowed as they came to a halt in front of him "Come out of there at once, you scum!"

_And there's my cue. _Once more he chucked the T.V away and crossed his legs, effecting a decidedly bored posture. He even went so far as to stick an elbow on the chair's arm and rest his chin on his hand. Underneath his cape, he held a switch with three buttons coloured green, amber ("_not _orange," he'd insisted to an amused C.C) and red. He now pressed the green button.

Like before, the Britannian flag, the symbol that represented one third of the world, burned up and away to the shock and outrage of the patriots. In its place, sat in his rickety chair was the masked man himself, expressionless and yet still managing to effect a look of annoyance as well as confidence in his posture.

Seeing him sat there so brazenly only caused Jeremiah to spit acid. "You insolent cur!" He shouted at him, his pistol turning to point straight at Zero's head. "You make a mockery of our Prince's transport, destroy our flag, and now you don't even have the decency to stand? On your feet, swine!"

Zero however ignored him and turned to face the nearest camera crew. "Good evening, citizens of Britannia." He greeted shortly, but still with an air of politeness. "I am Zero."

Vaguely he was aware of Mr Drama on the TV he'd discarded chatting up his character already, trying to get an idea of who he was. But he was more interested on how this change to the script would effect the people...

_Not by much it would seem. _

Like before, the faces were all confused by his appearance, or interested in why he was dressed in such an elaborate get-up. And of course, he spotted the jeering looks as well, along with the shock at his disrespectful snub of their wonderful Margrave Gottwald. _That shall all change once we reach scene two._

Scene one however was still being acted out as Jeremiah, fed up with his shenanigans, and angered by the ignorance shown him, signalled for the support units to descend. At the ring of his pistol firing, four Sutherland's dropped around the car, cutting off their retreat.

Kallen beneath him let out an involuntary gasp of surprise, her nerves and doubts of them getting out of this plan working likely beginning to rise. _Stay strong, my Queen. _Zero thought to himself, maintaining his cool exterior, and at last faced Jeremiah.

"You bark a lot, don't you Gottwald?" He taunted, his other arm coming to rest on that of the chair, his finger tapping away. Though his tone and his mannerisms were calm, the voice echoed across the city, thanks in part to the voice modulator's booming effect, but also to the cameras that were now swarming them. "But then, what more could be expected of a dog of Britannia?"

His insult sent off a wave of angry grumbles, as was intended. Even Jeremiah twitched a bit at that. "Bold words, hiding behind that mask," he returned, "why don't you remove it and save us the trouble of identifying the body?"

_I will one day Jeremiah..._ Zero promised him silently, finally deigning to stand from his chair. _When you are my Orange Knight you will know my face..._A gloved hand reached up to rest on the indigo glass plate..._But not today! _The hand shot away into the air and clicked once, like a magician revealing his first trick.

At his signal, Kallen pulled the release lever beside the break, causing the back of the transport to fall away revealing, to Jeremiah and the other Purebloods' horror, but to the confusion of the audience, C.C's container. _However, you don't know that yet Jeremiah. As far as you're concerned, this thing is a canister full of poison gas._ Just like last time, the canister behind him was a mere prop, a tool to help things along...only this time it would serve as more than just a getaway device.

Also like before, the Margrave's instincts took him over and he brought his pistol to bear on Zero's head. "You intend to shoot?" The masked knight asked casually, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Judging by your reaction you know what this is...what do you suppose would happen if you missed?"

His ploy worked and Jeremiah reluctantly lowered his weapon, though he was still glowering at him. "Fine!" He growled out, "What are your demands?"

"A simple exchange." Zero replied calmly, indicated the canister behind him "This for Kururugi."

"Like hell!" The Margrave snapped angrily, though there was a touch of nervousness creeping into his tone at the sight of the 'weapon' now in the hands of a terrorist. "He's charged with high treason for the murder of Prince Clovis! I can't simply let him go!"

Last time, he'd chosen to be lenient with Jeremiah, simply sticking with 'Orange' to bring him down. It destroyed him slowly until Code-R got their hands on him and turned him into Schneizel's test-subject. This time though...

"_Help him Lelouch! Big Brother!"_

_You made Nunnally cry with your stunt Jeremiah..._he gritted his teeth through the balaclava..._for that, I'm going to take away everything you hold dear. Your reputation, your pride, your rank, even your love for Marianne. _Like last time it would take a while...but the results would speak for themselves. _I'll leave you with nothing and then remake you as someone of use to me._

Still a transaction required meeting, and so he read off his next line, arms folding in offence "I do so hate it when other people take the credit for my own handiwork."

He could imagine the whole country, no the whole _world_, coming to a halt at those words. Everywhere across the globe, anyone who was near a T.V set would have stopped to listen now. Those who wrote him off as someone who was all talk were now fully focussed on his words. With just a couple of sentences, Zero had become the centre of the world. And he absolutely loved it.

"That's right, Jeremiah," he sought out Diethard, staring directly into the camera lens "the man who killed Clovis...was myself!"

For a moment everything stopped as the people absorbed this statement...Then the outcries began: denials, demands, death-threats. Every last word came smacking into him and he lapped it up like the actor he was.

Below him though, in the seat of the dummy, Kallen's voice rose up to him. "We are so screwed."

That snapped him out of his moment of rapture and he then focussed on the crowd. "You heard correct, people of Britannia! Your prince's murderer stands before you! And I did it gladly!" More furious shouts roared back at him.

_Now...scene two. _He got the switch ready again, thumb resting on the amber button this time. "Clovis' death was deserved! If you choose not to believe me, then maybe your Prince himself can convince you!"

"He's mad!"

"Cut out his tongue!"

"Shoot him!"

With the hatred of the masses focussed solely on him, Zero's task at hand was met. He pressed the amber button. There was a high pitched whine of of frequency backflow, the sound of which caused the closer members of his captive audience, as well as the Purebloods and Kallen, to cover their ears as the speakers hidden within the canister blared into life. Once the sound calmed though, the people were treated to the horrific truth of their Prince's true self as his voice, unmistakeable to their ears, erupted out of the void.

It was a stroke of luck that Lelouch had found that recording when he and C.C infiltrated the G-1. Whilst Clovis called for the ceasefire, the younger brother recorded the message for future use. By that point he'd already decided to kill his half-brother but that didn't mean he couldn't discredit Britannia's beloved Prince.

And now, as Zero, he had.

"_The plan has moved forward to the next phase..." _Clovis' calm voice spoke "_If knowledge of her gets out I'll be disinherited. Tell them back home we're carrying out a planned urban renewal here. As Clovis, third Prince of the Empire I command you, destroy Shinjuku Ghetto! Leave no one alive!"_

No one spoke as the damning words swept through them. Even the Purebloods were silent, though for a different reason he suspected. With these words they were ruined.

_But I'm not done yet. _"If knowledge of her gets out..." Zero repeated slowly for the whole world to hear. "I do not know of who he speaks, likely a commoner woman he spent a late night with. Whoever this mystery girl is though, she was enough to consign the whole of Shinjuku ghetto to destruction." His free hand swept out wide, bringing his audience's eyes back to him and out of their shocked dazedness. "The one responsible for the Shinjuku massacre was not the terrorists resisting Clovis, it was your precious prince himself! Why? To prevent his flawless image from being tarnished!" He didn't need to mimic disgust or anger for this act, this time around the feelings were all too real to ignore. "Innocent Japanese men, women and children killed by Britannian dogs all for the sake of one man's vanity!"

"Enough!" Jeremiah roared at him, "This farce has gone on too long! You men, what are you waiting for? Shoot him!" The Sutherlands obeyed his order immediately, readying their weapons to fire.

But Zero just stood there lazily, arms relaxed beneath his cape again, "Watch your orders, Knight." He warned him, "We wouldn't want that little business about Orange coming out, would we?" It was almost funny how the soldiers suddenly paused in their orders, even the ones guarding Suzaku glanced up at each other wondering just what the hell he was babbling about now.

_And so the seeds are spun..._Zero thought to himself, smirking behind the mask. _But I'm not done yet, Orange Boy. _He'd sworn to cut Jeremiah into little pieces and that was exactly what he was going to do. "What is a Knight, Jeremiah, but a shining example of chivalry? A hero who protects the weak from the strong who would abuse them." Levelling an accusatory finger at him, he played his hand "You claim to be a Knight, Gottwald, yet you use your power to subjugate the Japanese who have no means to defend themselves! What right to do you have to harm the innocent other than your own sick amusement?!"

He was hitting all the nails on the head, Jeremiah was flicking between anger, loathing, questioning...and even doubt. Even if he was wondering where Zero was getting all this information it didn't matter, the verbal barrage had been an attack on his sense of chivalry. Sense didn't come into consideration where that old custom was concerned and it was the Margrave's weak point. But Zero was far from done as he let out an audible scoff. "Have you become so rotten, that you will do anything to obtain power? Using an innocent man to further you own personal gains? Where is the honour in that? What's the long-term plan? To take over Japan and then stage a revolution against the crown? Well, Orange?!"

The crowd was getting worked up, as he had planned. Only now they were whispering to each other, pointing fingers at the confused Margrave. Suspicion had fallen upon their acting consul and now it could only spiral into his indefinite demotion just like last time. More importantly though, this time Jeremiah himself would be thinking twice about his actions.

Still, he'd done enough for now, the rest would take care of itself. Tapping his heel on the platform once, Kallen followed the silent order and moved the transport forward. "If you truly are a man worthy of the title of Knight, Jeremiah Gottwald," he activated the left slide mechanism to reveal his Geass empowered eye, the crane's wings already flapping "then you fill follow my instructions, _Orange Boy!"_

The Geass did its work, travelling through Jeremiah's eyes and bending his will. The confused stare melted away replaced with an expression of full cooperation. "Understood sir." He replied dutifully, to the shock of his subordinates and Kallen.

"Very well then," Zero ordered, "until me and my ally have left with your prisoner, you will do everything in your power to aid us."

"As you say." Jeremiah obeyed, and then turned to the following ATT where Suzaku was held. "You there!" He shouted to the soldiers guarding the prisoner "Get him down here now!"

"What on Earth are you doing, Lord Gottwald?!" Villetta shouted from the back of the convoy, but her protests were met with a repeat of the former order.

"I gave you an order, now carry it out as instructed!" The Margrave barked, "Get that man over here!"

Unsure of what exactly was going on, the soldiers reluctantly obeyed, lifting their rifles away from Suzaku and pulling him up to his feet. He was then escorted down to the road from which he walked towards Jeremiah's Sutherland, looking just as confused as the audience who had finally recovered from their shock and were now wondering just what was going on.

Seeing his friend walking towards them, Zero tapped his heel again, signalling for Kallen to stop, and climbed down onto the road to meet him. _Suzaku..._he couldn't help it, the feeling of relief and childhood compassion that rushed through him at the sight of his friend alive in front of him was too good to ignore. Truthfully it was hard to keep himself from embracing him in front of everyone. This Suzaku still had a young man's belief in people, the belief that if he did enough then the world was sure to respond to his desire for it to change. This boy in front of him was not yet tainted by the cruelty of true war, or the tragedy of a lost love.

_And if I have my way, Suzaku, _Zero swore to him,_ we will never lose Euphie._

All this was thought behind the mask, his tearful expression hidden even to his oldest friend who had been his executioner.

Suzaku's face was not so hidden and so his confusion and caution was clear on display in his frown as he asked him "Who exactly are you?" He regretted it a moment later as the collar around his neck delivered an electric shock, silencing him.

The visible pain his friend was in snapped Zero back into action and he glared up at the Purebloods, "You even took away his right to speak." He spoke with absolute disgust. "You sick creatures have no right to call yourselves Knights." _Oghi should be getting into position right about now. _

Sure enough, Kallen came up beside him, her chauffeur's costume, hat and tinted visor keeping Suzaku from identifying her. "Zero," she whispered to him, "it's time."

Nodding mutely, he pulled out the small device that had introduced him and defamed Clovis. And now it was time for the red button. Turning to his audience, the crowd as well as the numerous camera sets, Zero gave them a courteous bow and his simple closing statement. "Until next time."

Then he pressed the red button.

Behind them, on top of the dummy transport, the canister's top blew, spewing purple coloured gas into the area, covering up Zero, Kallen, and their new acquisition. As the gas spread, the people came to the predicted conclusion that they were being poisoned, and ran for it. Zero was vaguely aware of Villetta yelling at him and then Jeremiah's Geass compelling him to block her Sutherland's path, but he was too focussed on getting Suzaku out of harm's way. Grabbing his friend by the arm, he and Kallen ran for the side of the bridge and leapt for it, bringing their stupefied third member with them. As expected, Oghi's commandeered MR-1 had deployed its breakaway recovery sheet over an open train hatch. They all collapsed through it and got under cover as a Sutherland came after them, wrecking the Knightmare but not before Oghi could eject and get away. The Pureblood's Knightmare was suddenly halted as another came over the side, Jeremiah's Geass order to help them as Zero had instructed influencing his actions.

Glancing up, the Masked Knight gave his unwitting ally a short salute before the train pulled away. "I thank you, my Orange Knight._"_

It seemed at that point that Kallen realised what they'd just pulled off. "We did it...hah! We actually did it!" Then she turned to Zero. "Okay, I gotta know, what is so bad for Gottwald that he would listen to you? What's Orange?"

"A lot of things." He replied offhandedly. Seeing her unamused scowl, he took off her hat and let himself take in her wild hair style, all stuck up at the back. So much more her style than the Stadtfelt look. "Have patience, my dear. All will be revealed in time."

_A lot of things will be revealed..._The easy part was done, now it was time for the hardest part of all: It was time to tell them the truth.

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto  
****Broken Down Theatre**

**The White Lady**

C.C watched from the shadows as Kallen and Oghi recounted the first person experience of the rescue, the old woman in her feeling a touch of amusement at their enthusiasm. The haughty lady in her however was annoyed at Lelouch for cutting her out of the action even if they had both agreed to it, she wasn't some weak little princess who couldn't look after herself, she was over seven-hundred years old! That was more than old enough to take care of herself. Still the little girl in her that preferred to stay out of the arguments of the other two couldn't help but feel thankful for his consideration of her as well as relief at the sight of his return.

Deciding to leave the storytelling to those who wanted to tell it, she made her way through the rubble and came out at the main stage. There stood her Warlock in his Knight's attire, stood upon the wreckage of the fallen-in roof, staring down on his recent acquirement. As for Kururugi, he stood alone on the intact floor, his collar removed, staring up at his mysterious saviour, unsure of what to make of him, but she could see the mistrust there. Whatever Lelouch had planned to turn him over to their side, it wasn't going to be easy.

Presently, Lelouch spoke, "I see you haven't had an easy time of it," he observed, noting the boy's bruises on his face, "rough treatment like that is only one of the things that must be stopped if the world is to be changed."

"Changed?" The white knight asked him, sceptical eyebrow raised, "How does killing people bring about change?"

_It is through struggle that progress is made. _She considered to herself silently._ Nietzsche got that right at least. _

"I assume you mean Clovis." Lelouch murmured, though the mask's modulator turned it into a slow building rumble, "While I will not debate the numerous reasons I could have killed him for, I did so for one reason: The slaughter of innocents. I believe you and I both hold that in contempt."

_Interesting angle..._She noted. _He's appealing to their shared sense of justice. _But would that work with this Suzaku Kururugi? Unlike theirs, this one was still naïve enough to believe he could evoke change from within. He had yet to see just how much of a mess the world was really in. It seemed though that Lelouch's argument had hit a nerve because the boy's face was suddenly caught in a flinch, likely remembering the slaughter.

But not enough to change his mind. "I suppose I can understand your reasoning," he relented that much, "however the fact still remains that your actions will have serious repercussions, for yourself as well as everyone around you."

"I am well aware of that fact." Lelouch replied, though his tone held a heavy burden as he likely went over just what kinds of consequences his actions had had the first time around. One in particular was probably weighing incredibly heavily on him whilst this young man stood before him.

_Even now, you still hold Euphemia's death close to you? _C.C sighed, though she felt nothing but sympathy for him as she continued to watch from the sidelines. _I've said it before and I'll say it again, boy. You keep the past too close to your heart. _

But then he straightened up in that way that always annoyingly amazed her, his Zero voice regaining its strength. "But my path is set out before me and I must walk on. I ask of you, Suzaku Kururugi," his hand came out from his cape and extended down to his friend, "join me, the Britannia you serve is rotten."

Kururugi stood there for a moment, assessing the figure before him for a hard while...and then, as they both should have known he would, he shook his head. "Maybe that's true for now." He conceded, "But this nation can be changed without having to be destroyed to do it, if there's even the slightest chance that can happen I'll protect the people of the empire, Britannians and Elevens, until that day comes."

_A Japanese boy calling them 'Elevens?' Kururugi you fool._

If the boy in question noted his slip, he didn't notice it as he turned away and started off towards the hole in the wall that served as the theatre's exit onto the street. "If I could, I'd try to take you in." He admitted to Lelouch over his shoulder, "But then you'd probably just kill me..."

"You are going to your court martial then?"

"Rules are rules." He replied simply. "I won't be the one responsible for the Honorary system's collapse."

"An admirable move, I suppose." Lelouch conceded, "If they let you of though, it is likely that I will become your enemy."

"If that is where our paths will take us, then so be it. Even so, thank you Zero, for owning up to your actions if anything."

And that was it. Suzaku Kururugi stepped through the wall and onto the street, soon vanishing from sight. Certain that he was gone, C.C slipped out of the darkness at last and made her way over to Lelouch even as he made his way down the rubble to the stage floor, his body quivering from top to toe with unseen emotion. He wasn't angry, she knew that right away – their plan to bring Suzaku over to their side was a long-term one, Lelouch had held no delusion that they could sway him with one talk – and he wasn't overcome with grief, otherwise she'd be dealing with the same blubbering mess he had been after his reunion with Nunnally. If she had to guess, C.C would have to say that Lelouch was just feeling everything at once but sending it outward instead of trying to keep it in like he had when he broke down. Whatever it was he was doing though, it was over shortly as he exhaled and turned to face her, his mask's blank slate doing nothing to hide his hesitance with what they were going to have to do now.

There was a part of her that wanted to give in to that hesitance, the little girl who didn't want to upset him wanted to say that they didn't have to do this, that they could just head back to Ashford and do this another time. But that was foolhardy, the elderly crone in her knew it as it raised its wizened head to chastise the naïve girl for her folly. If they didn't do this now, whilst Lelouch was willing, they'd just find excuse after excuse not to tell the Knights, until eventually what had happened before occurred again and they lost their friends to the enemy. As for the third major force of her personality, the snob...she didn't really care one way or the other, so the other two just ignored her.

Going with the crone's opinion on it, she rested a hand on his shoulder and gave him her best reassuring nod. She knew a second later if it had helped or not when he turned towards the other break in the building's walls and walked purposefully forward. After a moment of consideration, she followed after him staying only a step behind but ready to move in front again if things went sour. Kururugi once told her that she was Lelouch's shield, to protect him from his enemies whilst Lelouch's sword struck those same enemies down. Despite appearances she'd taken those words seriously.

With that thought in mind, she joined her Warlock as their allies came into view. Going by the looks of things, Kallen and Oghi had finished their tale and were now listening to the opinions of the others.

"That's crap!" Tamaki, predictable as ever, scoffed. "How many times can a bluff like that work anyway?"

_Only once...but then,_ she glanced at their silent observer fondly, _a good magician never performs the exact same trick twice._

If Oghi agreed with their loudmouthed comrade though, he was still too impressed to agree with him "You have to give the guy some credit though, no one else could have pulled that off. Not the JLF, and certainly not me."

"You are mistaken." Lelouch's sudden input caused the unaware terrorists to jump to their feet in surprise as the two of them officially joined the discussion. But he just continued as if he hadn't appeared out of nowhere like some _shinobi_ "You could have easily done just what I did today, Kaname Oghi. Maybe not quite as stylishly but..." He shrugged a little bit.

"Don't do that!" Kallen snapped, still trying to calm herself down after his little scare. Once she, and to extent the rest of the group, was breathing normally again there was a sudden realisation that they were one short. "Where's Kururugi?"

"On the highway by now, I should think." C.C murmured, glancing back the way they'd come "He was quite insistent that he attend his court martial."

"What?!" The group was suddenly up in arms, sputtering their disbelief at Kururugi's decision. Though the resident nay-sayer was the loudest with his 'I told you it was a load of crap' lines, it was unsurprisingly Kallen that caught and held Lelouch's attention. "That idiot! We nearly got ourselves killed rescuing him, and his reply is 'thanks but I'd rather die anyway?!'"

"You mustn't judge him too harshly." Lelouch implored them, "While it may seem he is shunning us in spite of our efforts, Suzaku Kururugi hopes for the same thing as we do: to change world. However he sees our means to reach that end as 'contemptible' and as such feels any change we make would be a hollow victory."

"Hollow?!"

"For one who has lost as much as he has," he continued over the redhead's exclamation, "our actions must seem utterly repulsive. As such he hopes to change the empire from within, to find a beacon of peace and turn it into a shining star." That didn't seem to help convince them though, however they'd never expected Kururugi's reasons to be accepted by this group right away. Like so many of their plans, that was another long-term project. As such C.C nudged Lelouch, reminding him that they had another reason for this meeting. He nodded at her and waved for the terrorists to be silent. "Put Private Kururugi out of your minds for now, there is something else we need to discuss: The means by which I facilitated that exchange in the transfer."

"I'll say," Sugiyama nodded in agreement to that, his amazement that mirrored that of the others returning to the front, "for a while there it looked like Gottwald wasn't gonna go for it, then you tore into him about being real scum and he backed down. Just what the hell do you know about him? What's Orange?"

_This is where the real ripples begin, _C.C thought to herself she stepped away, her body tensing up though as she got ready to spring into action if she had to, _once he shows them his power, everything becomes uncertain. _

He took his time getting to the point though, "If there is any truth to Orange, then I don't know anything about it." He admitted.

"C'mon, Zero!" Kallen snapped, not buying it for a second, "It had to be something, we're not stupid and I'm not blind. The moment you called him Orange, he froze up. So come on, tell us!" The rest didn't seem to be biting either. It would seem that a demonstration would be needed after all.

Sighing heavily, Lelouch turned to face one of their group, "Your name?" He asked shortly.

His chosen subject snorted. "Tamaki, your _lordship_."

A clicking sound accompanied the slide mechanism as Lelouch's left eye was revealed. "For the next ten minutes, you will run around on all fours and bark like an attention-seeking puppy."

A second later to the terrorists' shock, and her own amusement, the usually incredibly opinionated spiky haired redhead became stiff as a board, before responding monotonously. "Yes sir!" Before going down on his knees and doing exactly as he had been instructed, pawing at the ground every now and then, barking cheerfully.

If she didn't know why he had chosen to demonstrate his power in such a way, C.C might have laughed at the sight of the most annoying member of the group finally behaving in a way that suited him. However, she suspected Lelouch wasn't finding any pleasure in this and so held her piece. The look on Tamaki's friends' faces, of total disbelief at his antics, probably had something to do with it as well.

"What the-?!" Oghi exclaimed as Tamaki tried to hump his leg. His expression turned from surprise to alarm as he turned to face them. "What the hell did you do to him?!"

"The same thing that he did to Jeremiah." She answered for him, bending down to pet the dog-Tamaki as he bounded over to her...he was kind of cute like this. "A power that Zero has termed as Geass. The Power of the King."

"So it's some sort of hypnosis?" Kallen asked, though her eyes stayed locked on her Geass'd comrade currently having his ears scratched.

"Yes and no." Lelouch replied this time, his tone holding a touch of reservation, his attention firmly locked on the terrorists who still knew they were human. "Geass manifests differently for every person it is bestowed upon. As for myself, it manifested as the power of Absolute Obedience, but that is only one of the hundreds of potential abilities. Others have been able to rewrite memories or read people's thoughts...I even know of one who's ability was to make everyone she met love her."

She tried her best not to show her flinch as he brought up her old ability. It really was necessary to mention it, so their allies knew what they were dealing with, but that didn't mean it hurt any less to be reminded of that vain woman again.

It was Inoue's voice that brought her back to the subject, "But that's...that's monstrous. You completely bend a person's will to your own, whether they want to or not!"

"That's why it is called Absolute Obedience," C.C pointed out unhelpfully, "there is no choice. The individual _must _obey."

"But what if they refuse?"

If they could see his face right now, she was pretty sure they'd see him flinch at the implication. There had been times when an individual had resisted but... "There has never been a time when my power has not been successful." Lelouch responded bluntly, before his shoulders sagged and he finally turned to regard Tamaki, "For two years I have learned everything I could about Geass and its limitations, in the hopes that I would not cause unintentional harm to the people around me."

"Is that why you wear the mask then?" Kallen asked, "To catch your enemy off guard?"

"On the contrary." He corrected, "It's purpose is the exact reverse. Not too long ago, I temporarily lost control of my Geass and accidentally ordered someone very close to me to commit an atrocity that, under her own senses, she would never have willingly agreed to."

The self-loathing of the SAZ massacre that he was responsible for came rising into his tone, and despite her desire to let him get through this on his own, C.C left Tamaki to lick himself and rose up to wrap her arms around him. She noted their surprise at the tender action but dismissed them immediately, Lelouch was her concern right now. After a moment he responded with a squeeze to her hand, enough to tell her that he could carry on now.

"Were it not for C.C I would have likely never recovered my control." Not entirely a lie seeing as she was the one who made those contact lenses "However that event taught me just how dangerous my power truly was. Just a mere joke could cause a slaughter of innocents."

"That is the weight of Geass." He finished flatly, "If I speak the right words, I have the power to destroy nations."

"...then why haven't you?" Oghi finally found the courage to ask, though his voice was a bit croaked, probably still trying to come to grips with what he'd just heard. "If you're so powerful why don't you take over the empire yourself?"

"I have no desire to rule over people." Was the morose reply, "How would that change anything? Such a system is more akin to slavery than an empire. That is why I wear this mask, to protect those around me whether they are friend or foe. No leader should toy with his subordinates. If you follow me, then it will be done of your own free will. If you wish to leave, I will not attempt to force you to stay. However..."

He turned away back the way they had come, his message clear to C.C that it was time to go. "It would be presumptuous to think that you will fight with me now. I will give you some time to think over your decision. When the time comes for our next meeting, I will contact Mr Lamperouge. He will pass my instructions to Ms Kozuki. If you still wish to stand with us, meet with us at the address he gives you. If not, then I wish you luck in all endeavours."

Seeing as he was heading off, C.C let out a small sigh and fell into step beside him. That was it then, only time would tell now if they were going to have their old Black Knights when the time came for Euphemia's rescue. If they chose not to join up it would not be a crippling blow, the Legend of Zero already beginning to be spun, but it would upset Lelouch and he might even retreat somewhat into himself. _The worst part of all this is I can't tell him that it'll be all right because this major change could be the tsunami that engulfs everything from here__-__on out._

Somewhere behind them, Tamaki's barking finally came to a halt, being replaced by an enraged yell as he was told what had happened to him.

_Well, _she considered with a small smile_, at least there's that small consolation._

* * *

**Okay. That's Orange taken care of and Geass revealed. That should send shockwaves through the gang...or at least for a little while anyway until the Knights trust them.  
****Next time, Euphie and Cornelia arrive. We'll give Suzaku some time in the spotlight to see what he's making of all this. Also we get to work a bit more on the Lelouch/Kallen relationship.  
****Should warn you guys I'll be taking a short break. Not month-inducing, but just to give myself a chance to cool off. This is NOT a hiatus note. I'm just saying that the chapter after this one might take a while to come up.  
****Sorry. Please don't be angry. No, no! Don't call Zero! Don't call Batman! Don't call Zero _and _Batman! Get away from that phone!**


	9. Turn 8 The Fallout

**My loyal followers, have no fear, the fanfic is in no danger of being left to rot just yet. I Tahkaullus01 give you the next chapter, unharmed. In other words, I'M BACK BITCHES!  
****If you're expecting any huge changes from canon in this chapter you may as well wait for the next one, this is mainly a reaction chappy. Also I wanted to take a break from writing about Lelouch for a while and instead turned my attention to the guys he's screwing around with. And I did say I'd give Suzaku some time in the limelight and that's what I'm gonna do, he shall be joined with his co-star for the story, Euphemia li Britannia. Kallen returns to interrogate our favourite up-and-coming playboy, and we begin the revival of the Knight of Orange. Lelouch and C.C are taking a break, only appearing very briefly doing...whatever it is they do. Oh and Cornelia shows up. More on her next chapter.  
****Okay, now that I've spoiled the entire chapter I guess you won't even bother to read it...oh well. **

**Guess I'll go see if those two admins I have in the basement are still alive. Freddy, I'm borrowing the gloves! *slasher grin* hehehehehee!**

* * *

**Chapter 8  
****The Fallout**

**a.t.b 2017  
****Ashford Academy  
****Student Council Building**

**The Heiress, the Inventor, the Crush, and the other crush**

"No way!" That was the equivalent reaction for everyone on the Student Council as Zero claimed to have murdered Clovis, and then all their outbursts drained to silence as the prince's order was broadcast. Rivalz and Shirley were stunned speechless, even Nina stopped her typing and looked around with wide eyes at such a horrific order.

As for Milly though, whilst she was surprised at Clovis' order, a part of her couldn't help but think that something like this should have been seen coming a mile away. Those who use the media and propaganda machine to build their support with the public often have more than one article of dirty laundry that needed airing. Maybe not in as dramatic a way as how Zero had gone about it but all the same it was an excellently crafted plan that, not only saw to it that suspicions about Suzaku Kururugi were diverted but gave the public something to think about when they remembered their beloved prince. No doubt sooner or later someone in the T.V world would try to spin the story differently but Zero's blunt claims as well as audio proof would never truly be discounted.

_And if that wasn't enough..._not satisfied with just that, Zero had gone and destroyed Jeremiah Gottwald's credibility with a few well placed words. Already she could hear Rivalz and Shirley discussing what 'Orange' might mean, none of what they were coming up with painting the acting-consul in a good light, which Milly suspected was exactly what Zero wanted. An avid secret hunter, on school grounds and off, she would have heard if Jeremiah Gottwald had gotten into something shady – she loved to listen in on people, to know what their deepest darkest secrets were, which was partly why she couldn't resist teasing her fellow council members to see if they'd give. About the only person it didn't work on was their erstwhile Vice-President.

_Speaking of Lelouch. _The blonde frowned slightly as she watched Zero on the T.V walk up to Suzaku, before turning to shout _something _at the Knightmare pilots around them but judging from his body language she could see that he was furious. However that wasn't important as she considered the convenience of it all: Private Kururugi, the Honorary Britannian who, thanks to Nunnally, they knew had a connection to the exiled siblings. And going by Nunnally's begging Lelouch to help him, not to mention the man in question's own stunning display of anger, Milly would say it was a very close one. Then he just happened to be gone all day, yesterday and the day before, not unheard of for him but she was usually able to catch him coming back _before _the sun went down. And now this, Zero announcing himself before a crowd and an armed guard that not only was Suzaku innocent but that he himself did the deed.

Contrary to popular belief at Ashford Academy, Milly Ashford wasn't just a party animal and a pretty face. You weren't just born into nobility and that was it, there was training involved – social etiquette, vocal cues, and most importantly, reading between the lines. She'd realised the moment Zero tore into Jeremiah about being a Knight that there was more going on here than just a terrorist's claims. Zero's lecture of Gottwald had carried a level of familiarity with the Margrave and an underlying sense of disappointment in him. Milly couldn't find it in her to blame him either, when the Ashford family name meant something, Jeremiah Gottwald had been every little girls' vision of a knight, chivalrous to a fault. To see him as the head of the Pureblood movement, that spent more time oppressing the native population as well as repeatedly making moves to block moves to improve the Honorary Britannian system, had felt wrong on so many levels. That was where the unsettling facts came in though, because Jeremiah's first posting had been in Marianne's guard. Only someone with ties to the late Lady Marianne could have known what he was like before his transfer into the military. As far as she knew the only people in Japan who knew that fact were the members of her family...and the two royals that they were sheltering. As much as Milly didn't want to cast stones, the current evidence pointed to Lelouch having something to do with Zero's knowledge of Gottwald.

"What d'ya think Prez?" Rivalz's question drew her out of her musing and back to the actual events going on. "Do you think he did it? I mean, if I was wearing that get up I wouldn't take me seriously."

_Oh Rivalz, _she couldn't help thinking fondly over her favourite student, _chances of us ever taking you seriously are slim to none. _

"I'm more worried about what he said about Prince Clovis." Shirley admitted, watching worriedly as the pin gas cleared to reveal that Zero, his accomplice and Private Kururugi were gone. "Do you really think he ordered such a thing?"

"No way!" The bluenette snorted, waving the assumption off "It was probably something Zero put together to freak us out."

"But..." Nina asked, looking up from her work, "didn't Lelouch say he saw something?"

That fact halted any statement Rivalz was about to make as that unsettling truth came back to rest over them all. After all, Lelouch's odd behaviour had started after he came back from Shinjuku. And he had said that the terrorists hadn't done anything to him, in fact he defended them with more strength than he had the military, not even implying that there was poison gas except that he expected the news to report it like that, which they had. If Zero was to believed...

As expected, Shirley voiced their collective realisation "You mean Lulu saw it happen?!" Her pure terror at the idea of their Lelouch being so close to something so grim was felt by them all. Milly however felt an additional level of sympathy for their friend, being one of the few people who knew just how horrifying an experience he'd had seven years ago, carrying Nunnally on his back when they arrived at the Ashford Estate, dirty and bloody, with haunted eyes. She'd never asked him what he'd seen or been through to get to them, but then there was an even larger part of her that just didn't want to know.

_And now he's seen a massacre. _

As the Student Council descended into discussion over just what Lelouch must have seen, Milly backed away a bit to look over at the private rooms set aside for him and Nunnally. He'd gone out again tonight, slipping away to do whatever it was he was doing these last few nights, not appearing in class for the past two days. And all the Student President could do was worry over the boy who'd become a surrogate brother to her. It was no secret to her that he'd harboured a grudge against Britannia for abandoning him and Nunnally when they invaded Japan, but she'd thought he'd gotten over it.

_Lelouch..._Milly thought to herself as she turned back to look at the pandemonium left in Zero's wake, both on the T.V and in the room with her friends, _please don't be doing something so dangerous as challenging the empire. You're not ready._

* * *

**Tokyo Settlement  
****Italian Restaurant**

**The Warlock and the Witch**

"I'm ready." He declared firmly as he watched C.C's order (an eighteen inch, deep-pan four-seasons) arrive. At the sight of it, though, his mind left its planning mode and went straight to what he liked to call his 'I just have to accept she can do it' mode. Shaking it off he got back to it, helping himself to his lasagne.

The witch in question raised an eyebrow at him, "Are you? By outing Clovis like you did, the number of things that could change are substantial."

She wasn't wrong. In the three days that had passed since the conclusion of the Zero Resurrection, the whole of Tokyo was up in arms in a way that was unprecedented from last time. The news that Jeremiah might be crooked would have the same desired impact on the knight, but it would be the slant to his honour that would really do him personal damage. Lelouch wouldn't be surprised if he caught the man himself wandering into a bar, overcome with depression, once he hit him with Saitama. However, as C.C was suggesting, that was assuming Saitama would still happen now. Cornelia would have no doubt seen the broadcast, heard her brother's order, and would be trying to make her mind up with who she was angrier at. Zero for murdering her brother, or Clovis for being as stupid as to order an attack like that in such a volatile area as Japan. She may very well try something different this time in response to Zero's antics and her own sense of justice.

_Hmm...maybe I did lay it on too thick too soon. Oh well._

"What's done is done." Lelouch stated firmly, reaching to take a slice of her four-season and then jumping back as she brandished the steel server in front of him like a sword. Rolling his eyes at her unrepentant glare, he continued, "The first move has been made, if it was too aggressive I'll simply have to play more carefully from now on."

"Well just make sure you don't make the same mistake twice." She cautioned him bluntly, taking the slice he would have gone for and bit away, "As much as I like wearing your clothes, I'd rather only do it when I need to."

"Don't worry, my dear Witch." He assured her, ignoring the other implications her statement brought up "The next time Cornelia and I meet on the battlefield will be the last time she clocks me as the overconfident type."

* * *

**Tokyo Settlement  
****Outside the Viceroy's Palace**

**The White Knight**

One moment he was the wanted criminal for the murder of the Former Viceroy of Area 11, the next Suzaku was restored his rank and let off on the grounds of there being not enough evidence to back Jeremiah's claims. Add into the fact that the Margrave himself was now under scrutiny and it made for a very free, yet very confused Private of the military.

_In the blink of an eye, mountains of evidence become no evidence at all? Is the empire really that messed up? _Then again, he was alive so that had to count for something. Although it irked him somewhat that the fact he was alive at all was because of the real killer coming to his aid. The number of questions fired at him over that were beyond counting or recollecting, but it really all boiled down to why Zero had thought he was worth risking himself to appear before a fully military escort. There had been no answer that he could give other than he had no idea, nor could he come up with anyone that he knew of that could be wearing that mask.

Whatever he said though, it seemed the court had decided to accept it and had sent him on his way, out to a city that was on a knife-edge. The people were dividing up, something he could clearly see as Honorary Britannians walked in groups on one side and their settled counterparts walked in theirs, and that was just inside the building. Outside he didn't know what he was going to find, but Suzaku knew just who to thank for the sudden level of mistrust that was showing. Zero had ignited fears and dissatisfactions that had started to fade even with the terrorists' actions over the years, now they were back in force and even spreading to the people who were embracing the system and trying to make things better for everyone. But it wasn't just the Japanese who had been angered by hearing Clovis' words either. More than a few Britannian civilians on the street could be heard muttering amongst themselves, unable to agree on whether or not that order had been falsified, slowly breaking up into factions.

_Is this what you wanted Zero? By playing that recording as well as decrying Jeremiah you've turned the settlement into a time bomb. _He may owe his life to the masked man, but Suzaku couldn't say that the resulting consequences of his actions were very favourable to anyone. How long now before one Britannian group went too far and created another Purist Faction? And what about the Japanese? What if the JLF tried something rash and ended up seeding even more contempt amongst the masses? Zero may have saved him in the short-term, but the long-term after effects were shaping up to cause a great deal of damage.

However his thoughts on the vigilante were quickly knocked aside as he heard a faint scream from above. Looking up he had enough time to see what appeared to be a massive pink ball headed straight for him. He was about to move aside when he saw the face of a girl pull out of the mass as she called out to him "Look out below!"

He was barely able to get his arms free of his duffle bag and catch her though, going down on his knees to support the girl's impact. Grunting from the effort, he looked up to check her over, "Are you all right?"

"I'm sorry!" She apologised, though still a bit out of breath and startled from her fall, wide-eyed and a bit of a mess though still managing to pull off an elegant appearance thanks to her youth. "I hadn't seen you down here until I had leapt."

_No, I don't doubt that. _He thought to himself, chuckling a little bit, "Well don't worry about it. I wasn't exactly expecting a girl to just fall into my arms out of the sky either." By the widening of her light-violet eyes though it was obvious that she'd taken that the wrong way. He was about to correct himself when he noticed the sudden note of realisation that struck in her expression. "Is something wrong?"

For a second she was silent, before looking back up at him with a measure of relief in her eyes, "Yes, there is a problem," she pointed back up at an open window, no doubt the one that she jumped out of, "you see I think there's someone following me. I jumped out of the window to shake them off, but I'm afraid they might already be heading this way."

_Following her? _Looking up himself, Suzaku spotted the window and though he could allow for maybe a bit of time passing, he couldn't see any trace of anyone having been there apart from the rustling curtains.

Though he was about to tell her this, the girl quickly took his hand and started to pull him along, "You're a soldier, so could you accompany for a while please? Just until I know that no-one's following me." It wasn't as if he had any sort of choice in the matter, so he just stammered an okay and grabbed his bag before he was completely pulled away.

By the way she led him along until he got his arm free again, Suzaku would have to say that she didn't have much knowledge of the Area, maybe the Settlement's hotspots but nothing beyond that, as her gaze kept jumping to every little thing. For a moment he studied her behind the tinted sunglasses he'd been given to hide his identity from the crowd, trying to figure out what was so important about this girl that there were people chasing her. _Is she some kind of celebrity? Or a film star? _He couldn't shake the feeling that he should be able to place her name, there was just something about this girl that told him he should know of her.

After ten minutes of silent walking and secret analysing, the girl finally spoke again, "We haven't introduced ourselves properly yet, have we? My name's..." the pause lasted just a little bit too long, "Euphie."

"Euphie?" It wasn't a name he was particularly familiar with, probably a nickname to throw him and anyone else listening off. Still she'd had the decency of mind to give him something to call her other than 'the girl who fell into my arms,' something he suspected would not go down well with anyone who knew her if they found out about this unanticipated little stroll, so Suzaku supposed he should at least give her his name in return. "My name's..."

"You don't have to tell me," she cut him off, "because I already know who you are." Dread and worry surged through him as he came to a halt and turned to face her, expecting to see what he had a week ago at that procession. But instead she was smiling, not a bit of malice to be seen. "You are something of a celebrity, being the son of former Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi, Private Suzaku Kururugi."

_Oh...that..._How long had it been since he'd been connected with his late father's position? Longer than the Britannians had been here that was for sure. He'd been a bit of a ghost to even the most inner of his father's circle, only really known about through his sensei Todoh. It would seem though that the records had finally caught up with him though if a young girl who he didn't know could identify him at first glance, a bit of a change of pace from the old days when he was almost as invisible as the Chinese Empress Tianzi was rumoured to be. And speaking of this girl, why was it, if he thought he should know of her, that he couldn't lay down a name? Also, if she was important as his vague memory was telling him she was then why couldn't he see anyone coming after them?

Looking around ahead of him to be sure, Suzaku frowned and let out a small sigh. "You lied before," he stated calmly, "there's no one chasing you at all. Right?"

"Meow..."

At the odd response he turned back round to face her, only to see that she'd abandoned his side and was now kneeling down before a grey-furred stray cat. And going by the cat imitations, she was holding a rather animated conversation with it. "Aww, does the kitty's paw hurt?" she cooed, leaning forward a little bit and halting when it looked like the cat would bolt. Unshaken, she reached out a delicate finger and stroked the uncertain animal's head. Immediately the cat relented its worries and submitted contentedly to Eupihe's ministrations, purring happily...which she responded to with a few extra 'meows'.

For Suzaku, the sight of such an innocent byplay was...refreshing. In the last seven years he'd seen a lot of things, from walking through valleys of corpses left in Britannia's wake to the poor conditions of the ghettos. Such harshness had spurred his intent to change things from within without bringing any more pain to the people he cared about. And yet, now here he stood in the Tokyo Settlement with a girl he didn't know chatting to a cat as if it was the most normal thing in the world...and all he could do was smile at her. Then she held up the cat for him to have a turn with petting.

There had also been discoveries about himself along the way to where he was now. For starters, he'd found that adjusting to the English dictionary was a whole lot easier than many said it would be, in fact he'd gotten used to it going back to the old Kanji had been a bit harder than he'd anticipated. Nevertheless he couldn't give up his old love of spicey foods and he was still very much, as Lelouch had once put it, an exercise nut. Today though, he discovered something new: Cats hated him.

As soon as his hand was in range, the stray lunged out and bit into his finger. For a moment he didn't feel the pain as the shock and surprise of the attack registered first. Once Euphie had pulled the cat off of him, scolding it like a disappointed mother, then he felt the rising sting. It almost brought tears to his eyes as he quickly sucked on the finger to stem the bleeding.

"Bad kitty!" Euphie was still scolding the cat, before taking his hand again and leading him to a step for them to sit down on. "Play nice with our new friend now." She admonished it one more time before taking out a piece of cloth, tearing off a strip and wrapping it around the front paw that had been limping. With her attention back on her, the cat suddenly became a cuddly ball of fur again and mewled up at her adorably, big yellow eyes staring up at her. Sighing, Euphie just shook her head and finished tying the knot in the bandage. "Do you have trouble with cats?" She presently asked him, her work finished.

He shook his head, chuckling a little "I like them just fine," he told her, "unfortunately, it would seem the feeling is one-sided." To prove his point, he brought his unwounded hand up to pet the cat again. Immediately it's hackles went up and it hissed at him threateningly. Not wanting to get matching injuries on his other hand, he retracted it and just sighed a little.

"Oh, that's too bad." She murmured, looking at the cat a little disappointedly. But that was quickly changed as she replaced it with a smile his way. "I think that unrequited love is the mark of a kind person," she told him kindly, "I'm sure it'll be rewarded someday."

However it would seem that the cat didn't agree with her measure of his character as it hopped off of the step it had been perched on and bounded away. It's actions caused Euphie to pout sweetly, but all Suzaku could feel was a bit of relief that the hostile animal had decided to abandon them. It let him get his thoughts back on track before the unexpected detour and his observation of his accomplice. "Um, Euphie this may be overstepping my bounds but, why did you lie about being followed?"

"Hm?" She cocked her head to one side, observing him "Are you asking because you're concerned about me?"

_Huh? _Her bluntness mixed with amusement caught him off guard and he felt a bit of heat rush to his cheeks. "W-well yes, I guess." he stammered out.

"Good!" She declared, jumping up and grabbing his arm again, "Then you can accompany me a bit longer!" And once again she was pulling him along, himself unable to stop her due to sheer levels of surprise. "Come on it'll be fun!"

The next hour seemed to go by in a blur. One moment he was on the streets sat next to a pretty pink-haired girl with a tendency to talk to cats, the next Euphie was stood outside a clothes shop eyeing the mannequin on display. And somehow Suzaku found himself stood there next to her, watching as she analysed the plastic body. For a while he thought she was deciding whether or not the clothes would suit her and was about to suggest that she could just go on in and try them on if she wanted, but then she propped an elbow on a hand and rested her chin on the propped up hand. It took him a moment to realise what she was doing, but when he figured out that she was mimicking the mannequin's pose, he couldn't resist the chuckle that escaped his throat. When she turned around to pout at him though, that chuckle became a full blown laugh.

That kind of set the tone for the rest of the afternoon, stopping briefly at a street vendor to grab a bite to eat before moving on again.

"You know," she told him as they were walking along, "being here is just like being in Britannia. I feel right at home."

"Oh?" That was a rather rare comment he got from people he talked to. It was either that Britannia wasn't hitting the 'Eleven' population hard enough, or that the Britannians were stealing more and more of Japan and had to be evicted. To hear someone say it was actually nice to be here, a Britannian at that, was once again another breath of fresh air. And a visitor as well, "Are you from the homeland?" He asked her.

"U-huh." She nodded, "I was a student there up until last week."

"Last week?" She'd stopped her schooling? But she didn't look any older than him, maybe a little bit younger. "So what're you doing now?" He asked, however she didn't say, in fact it looked like that was something she'd rather not talk about, so as they walked down a set of stairs he quickly moved along, "By student, do you mean highschool? You can go sightseeing any time you like can't you?"

"Oh, no!" Euphie's eyes widened at his subtle questioning, "No I haven't dropped out. It's just that today's the last day of my vacation. I wanted to see as much of Area Eleven as I could because I'd like to know what kind of place it is."

_Great..._he refrained from hitting himself, _wonderful job Kururugi, insult the girl who's saying nice things about home for once why don't you? _Clearing his throat, Suzaku got ready to pull him out of the potential hole he'd dug. "Well you didn't need me for that." He pointed out.

"No." She shook her head at him, still smiling brilliantly at him. "I'm glad I got to see it with you."

"Really?" He shut himself up then and there at the surprised squeak that jumped out. Straightening up, he cleared his throat before asking properly, "Is that right?"

Giggling at his attempt to cover up his blunder, Euphie nodded, "It always feels good to have someone to talk to about things and..." her smile slipped away, replaced by a dim frown at something behind him. "...oh my."

Looking behind him, Suzaku came face to face with a large TV screen that was switched to the news channel. The image of the masked Zero stared back at him, arm held high in dramatic poise with his cape billowing out before him, the man almost appeared a heroic persona...but for one who'd seen him work, all Suzaku could do was scowl at the image.

"And there is still no knowledge of the terrorist known as Zero's whereabouts." The studio presenter was saying, "However some have speculated that he is an Eleven extremist hiding out in the Shinjuku ghetto. Though his face is unknown it is quite clear that his intent is to spread further anarchy and chaos throughout Area 11."

_Chaos...that's a good word for it. _Suzaku thought to himself as he glanced at the other people watching the report, noting the mixed reactions to the report. Though there was obviously those who were showing full agreement with the story there were others who were whispering to themselves, the name 'Clovis' and 'massacre' hissing about the square they were standing in. Area 11 was already collapsing and they didn't even see it, and chaos and destruction would follow once the voices turned from hisses and whispers, to shouts and accusations. _Clovis may not have been an ideal Viceroy, but what's to say that the person who replaces him won't be worse?_

As for Euphie though, she had her own thoughts on the matter. "I wonder if Zero has someone to talk to." The surprising statement threw him and he turned to look at her in askance, "He seems very lonely stood up there by himself. I'm not excusing his actions or his assassinating Clovis," she clarified, "but at the same time I cannot deny that his intentions weren't noble." She seemed all the more saddened as she spoke about the subject, but then she brightened up a bit and smiled at him, "And if he hadn't done what he did we likely wouldn't have met, would we Suzaku?"

She had him there, he had to admit. If Zero hadn't shown up, Suzaku would likely be facing a firing squad for high-treason. Not that he appreciated the vigilante toying with people but then he had to only look at the rather unique situation he would have missed if he hadn't. To his annoyance, he realised he owed the masked man something._Dammit!_

Thankfully though, it seemed Euphie wanted to move on and so they pushed off, heading down another street that had a building under construction. On the wall of the barrier separating them from it, there was a wide-shot of an idyllic open view of the sea with seagulls flying overhead, the Area 11 code stamped up in the top-left corner. Later on, Suzaku would suspect it was this image that triggered his companion's next request.

"Suzaku?" She came to a stop, bringing him to a halt with her. "Would you mind taking me to one more place please?"

Seeing as he'd been her escort for most of the day, he was feeling a bit playful and so dumped his bag on the ground and gave her formal courteous bow. "Your wish is my command, milady."

But her request was anything but playful, "Take me to Shinjuku."

Absolutely certain that he'd misheard her, he looked up at her again and marvelled at how once again the enthusiastic side to herself had vanished. This time though it was replaced with a purposeful frown and a determined air. "Suzaku Kururugi." Euphie addressed him formally and...almost authoritatively, as she repeated her request "Please escort me to Shinjuku Ghetto."

* * *

**Tokyo Settlement  
****Barracks, Officer's Quarters**

**The Knight Of Orange**

Five days. That was all the time it had taken for everything Jeremiah Gottwald had been building for the last eight years to crash and burn. Five measly, unforgiving days full of whispers and muffled suspicion that hounded him like a dog after a bone.

In the wake of Zero's arrival at the procession to Suzaku Kururugi's trial, everything had been thrown into turmoil. The Purist movement had been brought to a dead halt as his file was pulled up, analysts going over everything he'd ever said and done, from his tenure in the academy to his transfer over to Area 11. Even the assassination of Lady Marianne had been pulled up for review, the fact that her guard just happened to be absent at the time of her death being viewed in new light for any possible dissatisfied soldiers to make their attempt on her.

_Preposterous! _Jeremiah snarled at the very thought as he downed a brandy shot, _To even think that I would lay a hand on Lady Marianne in such a way! I swore on my sword that I would defend her and her issue to the last!_ Not that they'd ever needed much defending. The day that Marianne had intimidated the other royal consorts with the Ganymede after they'd given her son and daughter a hard time still brought a small smile to his face. Was it any wonder that Princess Cornelia had idolised her? They all had, she had just been that kind of woman. No one had ever questioned his loyalty to her.

Yet now...after this masked man defiled Prince Clovis' truck and called him 'Orange,' everyone he'd counted on as an ally or a comrade was either doing their best to avoid him or, in Lord Kewell's case, openly accused him of hiding something from them. It was infuriating! There was no 'Orange!' And yet that name persevered, every time he was sure he was rid of it someone else muttered it behind his back.

_Damn that Zero! I don't care how he was able to control me but I swear he won't do so again! I will not let that pretender of justice ruin everything I have worked for in Lady Marianne's name!_

"_You bark a lot, don't you Gottwald...but then what can be expected of a dog of Britannia?"_

A dog. That's what Zero had called him, it hadn't been difficult to understand the man's meaning behind the words and the implications were enough to make even the most civilised of men froth at the mouth. That insult had suggested that Jeremiah just went with the flow of the empire, that he had no wishes of his own that he wished to see fulfilled. What did he think the Purist Faction was then?! Those soldiers were his shining symbol against the threat of invasion from within and without, a group trained to be the best of the best, and Zero dared mock his accomplishment?!

Not only that, he called his integrity as a knight into question! The nerve of that man!

"_What is a Knight, Jeremiah? A hero who protects the weak from the strong!" _That was what he was doing! The Purists would protect Britannia's citizens from those who would seek to harm them. That was what he had formed them for, in the name of Lady Marianne!

But it was more than that, Lady Marianne's low-born status was not merely reviled by some of the consorts who had been born of noble blood, but of her fellow common-born folk who saw her as a gold-digging hussy. They believed she had abandoned her morals for wealth and fame, caring nothing for the place she had once called home before moving to the Aries villa. How could they have ever thought that? Her love and care was shown clearly in her gentle son Lelouch who he had often seen admiring the rose gardens, and the life-loving Nunnally who, with her equally adorable half-sister Euphemia, had made it her life's mission to cause her brother as much strife as was humanly possible. How could to two such wonderful children ever be raised if their mother was as greedy as those charlatans suggested? And yet the rumours that reached his ears whenever he'd accompanied Lady Marianne in the street were too similar to the ones from court. Finger pointing and name calling...not unlike what he was going through now.

Maybe that was why this whole 'Orange' business angered him so. _I thought I'd buried those feelings long ago...curse you Zero for bringing them back. _It was no secret to anyone who had been in her guard, even Princess Cornelia knew, that he'd loved the royal consort. He couldn't help it, it was as if she had knocked on the door to his heart and his heart had accepted her in with welcome arms. Her grace, poise, kindness and gentility had only made him fall in love with her further. Which was why he was so easily angered when he heard people speak ill of her.

There was absolutely no doubt in his mind that her murder was carried out by foreign insurrectionists who had wanted to demonstrate their power by killing the most loved of all Emperor Charles' consorts. Unfortunately there was no way to identify just which group had been behind the attack and thus the matter was dropped, the empire's rules of the weak being left behind brought out once more, even for someone as loved as Lady Marianne.

Unwilling to accept such a world, Jeremiah had joined the military proper, rising in rank and prestige enough to become the military governor of Area 11, intent on becoming strong enough, politically and militarily, to change the empire for the better. Through his actions he became known and soon others started to join him, Lord Kewell and Dame Villetta having been one of the first. They too swore that they would change the empire, no matter the cost. No other Britannian would suffer the same fate as Lady Marianne had, that had been the founding goal of the Purist Movement.

And yet Zero..._"You claim to be a Knight, Gottwald, yet you use your power to subjugate the Japanese who have no means to defend themselves!" _

_Dammit! _He pounded his fist into his desk, rage at the masked vigilante boiling over. _What right does he have to do this to me? What does he know of chivalry or honour? _Jeremiah knew what he had sworn to and he would continue on his path no matter what it took. If he had been set back then so be it. He would just have to find another way. Another chance would provide itself. He would persevere. For Lady Marianne, and Prince Lelouch and Princes Nunnally, the family he'd failed in his sworn duty to protect.

It was all he had left.

Presently, the phone rang and he quickly grabbed it up, preying that this wasn't another Orange joke. It wasn't.

"Lord Jeremiah?" Kewell's voice on the other end sounded anxious, "We think we've got Zero. Meet us at the old arena in Shinjuku ghetto, sector four. We can figure out how to proceed from there."

* * *

**Ashford Academy  
****Courtyard**

**The Red Queen and the Warlock**

Kallen was a wreck, and this time it had nothing to do with her Stadtfelt disguise. Although she was amazed that they'd actually been able to pull off that ridiculous scheme of Zero's, it sort of lost weight when she thought about just how he'd actually managed it. To the masses, it appeared as if he'd bribed Gottwald with some sort of past deal between them. She'd even bought it too and even after she knew the truth she'd gone online to see if there was anything about the now former acting consul that could lead credence to the 'Orange' story but all she'd gotten was conspiracy theory after conspiracy theory that ranked from the weird (that he had some sort of orange fetish) to the truly bizarre (he was a lab experiment created by Britannian scientists that had escaped and gone undercover as a soldier until he could rise high enough in rank and exact his revenge upon those who created him). There was absolutely nothing solid that could link Gottwald to anything related with resistance.

But then there was someone who could know about him. Someone who was in Zero's employ whose job was to keep him up to date with all the dirty laundry of the empire. Someone who was right now sat on a bench in the courtyard with his laptop out, tapping away.

_Considering that his friend was just rescued, you'd think he would be a little more happy, _but no, the same relaxed hunch, the same almost-bored expression on his face as he did whatever it was he was doing. Considering his anger the last time she'd seen him, Kallen was a bit surprised to seeing him going back to looking so...unaffected by everything._ What is up with this guy? He gets angry when his friend is accused of murder but doesn't even react when we save the guy's ass? _

Sighing internally, deciding it better not to try to work out the headache that was Lelouch Lamperouge, Kallen approached him until she was stood over him. She was about to speak when he let out a little chuckle and glanced up at her.

"You know, I was just thinking about a special girl." He remarked as he once again looked her over, "But I guess you'll do."

_Of all the-! _"Well maybe you need to start thinking with your brain instead of the other head!" She snapped back, almost talking herself into leaving, but she needed his knowledge so she'd just have to bear him.

And of course, he just laughed at her before steepling his fingers and leaning back, the laptop resting safely on his legs, "Good, good. You are learning, my young apprentice." He chuckled further as her outrage turned to murderous fury, but then cleared his throat and calmed himself. "So, I take it by the fact that you're still here and I'm not dead that you need a favour...or you just really like having me around."

_The pouch is used in emergencies, the pouch is used in emergencies, the pouch is used in emergencies!_

Taking a deep breath, she replied as calmly as she could "I need to know how he did it." She at last admitted, not at all appreciative of the way he suddenly just chortled. "I mean it! What the hell is 'Orange?'"

"Hell if I know." He admitted with a minimal shrug. "But it's definitely having an effect. You don't need to be a snitch to know that Orange Boy is officially screwed." Looking back up at her must have shown him that she really wasn't buying that story because he sighed and shut the laptop, leaning forward and suddenly looking serious. "He told you about his Geass, I suppose?"

_Geass..._ "So you already knew." She concluded, folding her arms. "That's the sort of thing I would've liked to know about before he turned Tamaki into a dog." And once again he just chuckled at her, "What's so funny about that?"

"I'm sorry," he apologised, though not sounding sorry at all, "it's just C.C told me about that afterwards. I gotta say, that's not usually something Zero does. Guess he does have a sense of humour."

_A sense of humour? He finds turning someone into his own personal puppet funny? _The more she learned about this boy's character, the more Kallen wished that she hadn't. What was so funny about seeing that idiot paw at the ground and bark at everyone the moment they started paying attention to someone else for a change? Nothing! He was like that already! All Zero did was turn Tamaki into something a bit more...fitting...And that was the moment where she saw the humour in it.

Not that she'd let Lelouch know that he'd gotten something right, his ego was big enough as it was. Instead, she chose to go onto something else that had been bugging her. "How can you trust him?" She asked, "A guy who hides his face behind a mask who's able to make people do whatever he wants whenever he wants them to?"

"It's not as unlimited as that..." He cut in, suddenly flinching as if he'd given away something he wasn't supposed to.

Not letting him get away with that slip up, she pressed her advantage, "So it does have a weakness?" She urged, leaning in close, placing her hands either side of him on the back of the bench, trapping him. "Tell me."

Seemed he had a sense of self preservation after all as he sighed and sat back before starting. "His Geass is only capable of working on someone he has direct eye-contact with. Additionally his range is about two-hundred and seventy meters if he's concentrating on a single person. It's not known just how far a range he has if he's working on a group, but then we haven't had a chance to properly test that yet."

"Test? You mean Zero doesn't know everything about his own weapon?"

"It didn't exactly come with an instruction manual." He replied, shrugging as best he could, before glancing around and then up over her shoulder. "Hey, if you're going to stick around, could you sit down?"

_Huh? What's he talking about? _Looking around though, she noticed that a few students were coming into the courtyard, whilst a couple more were glancing their way whispering to each other. _What the hell's so interesting about us...? Oh. _It suddenly hit her how this looked, her arms over him and her leaning in close to his face. _Crap, crap, crap! _Those polite words were soon replaced by a string of the more obscene as she flung herself onto the bench beside him, head down, cheeks flaming as she realised just how bad this was going to be for the gossip mill. _Shit! I just had to do this in broad daylight, didn't I? Now those dumbasses aren't going to leave me alone for a second! Gah! Get back on the subject Kallen!_

"S-so!" She stuttered, not at all thankful for the mocking smile her neighbour was throwing at her "Anything else you're going to tell me about Zero's little trick?"

"Well...I'd say the thing that really limits him is that he can only use it on a person once." He said at last, arms folded as if conversing with someone over the wisdom of telling her this little snippet, "However we've found ways around that – trigger commands, timed activations, that sort of thing. It's all in the wording really."

"_With the right words I can level nations."_

"So he was telling the truth." That conclusion was a huge relief to Kallen, as it would be for Oghi and the others who were still hesitant on working with someone who had such an unknown power. At least now they had an idea of what they'd be dealing with if they saw the front of Zero's mask ever open like that again. But she still knew that there was a possibility that one person or more could be lying about this. So she went back to her original question "With a power like that, how do you know he hasn't used it on you? To be loyal to him?"

She was shocked when she felt him flinch beside her, as if the possibility had never really entered his mind. But he quickly controlled himself and went back to normal. "If I ever learned that someone had used Geass on me..." he told her slowly, ice in every syllable "I'd hunt down the one who did it...and I would kill him."

"Really? You'd get your hands dirty?" If she'd been expecting him to rise to that, she was in for a surprise as he turned to face her. And suddenly it was the same boy from the bathroom, the one who'd recounted his history with Britannia and Japan. The one who watched a massacre.

"Don't mistake me for a Britannian comm officer." He told her firmly, closing his laptop and getting up from the bench. "I've killed before, and when the time comes I expect I will again. If that's all?"

And just like that, her demands dried up as she watched the boy who had only moments before been a lazy ray of bored sunlight walked away as a cold shard of ice. _What is up with him? One moment he acts like a kid and the next..._Kallen wasn't going to lie that the look in his eyes had shaken her..._the next he behaves as if he's a veteran soldier from a war fought long ago..._

Zero suddenly became irrelevant, his desires, his aims, goals and even his Geass became unimportant as Kallen watched a far more chilling mystery walk away from her. She'd suspected since his story that the face he usually put on in front of her was a front to hide something deeper, his change in behaviour when Kururugi had been accused of Clovis' murder being the best clue. It was similar to the feeling she'd gotten after Zero finished his story about his Geass, as if he was only giving them half the facts. And she wasn't even going to try to figure out C.C. The question was, did she dare go deeper to find out what it was that Lelouch was keeping from her, and by extent his friends? Zero knew, probably had since whenever he'd brought Lelouch into his circle, and C.C likely did as well seeing as they seemed to have some sort of communication.

Nevertheless, an unwanted last question was on her mind as lunch break came to an end: _Just who are you, Lelouch Lamperouge?_

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto  
****Sector Four**

**The Pink Princess and the White Knight**

To say she was appalled at the state of the ghetto was putting it mildly. Ruined buildings, damaged property, and bodies, some buried...others just left where they'd fallen, all of them clearly Elevens. Euphie knew what she was going to see would be bad and had thought herself prepared, but seeing it up close truly drove home just how much worse it was here in Shinjuku even two weeks after Clovis had ordered the attack on the ghetto. When she'd first seen Zero appear on the screen, mockingly sitting there as if this was all some elaborate joke to him she'd been outraged. And then he'd claimed responsibility for claiming Clovis' life and even had a well-intentioned reason for doing it. There wasn't a doubt in Euphie's mind that he'd threatened the former Viceroy into issuing the ceasefire in Shinjuku before killing him, (the media covered up his death, but being who she was opened certain doors to the truth of what happened that day) and then did the deed. It had shaken her to the core to hear the voice of such a seemingly gentle person order a massacre of civilians and a large part of her had been in denial over it for days. But then she'd gotten a hold of herself and had decided that the only way to know for certain was to see Shinjuku for herself.

Now the proof was in front of her and she couldn't deny it any further, Clovis la Britannia had ordered a slaughter...and Zero had been there to make him stop.

_Is he right about us? _She found herself asking as she and Suzaku stopped by a small burial ground, photos and mementos of loved ones left by the wayside. _Has Britannia become so entrenched in its belief of its own superiority that we don't see the suffering of others anymore? _She'd always had problems with her father's belief that the strong must rule over the weak or leave them behind. Call her sentimental but she'd never liked the idea of leaving people she'd considered friends behind just because of someone's belief that she was above them. If superiority meant leaving common human decency behind then she'd rather have been born a commoner like Lady Marianne.

And now people were splitting up, becoming suspicious of each other just because of one man's actions and words. Zero had, by himself, thrown the whole of Britannia into a chaotic uproar. The superior nation was quaking in it's boots all because of one 'inferior' breed insulting Sir Gottwald and destroying his immaculate reputation with just a single, if rather unusual, word. There had been a deep personal hatred that she knew that most watching would have missed in his tone as he cut into the procession...but there had also been disappointment in the Margrave, and the way Zero had held himself had suggested he was far more than just a terrorist. The way that he'd lectured Sir Gottwald on what it meant to be a knight had also lead her to come to the conclusion that the vigilante was most certainly not another Japanese resistance fighter as the media was claiming. _A Britannian who hates his own country..._she thought to herself sorrowfully, _what's next? One of the family rebelling against Father?_

"Man!" The voice of an annoyed young man caught her ears and along with Suzaku she looked up at the rise behind them at what had once been a rather immaculate statue, now ruined, where two boys were posing. Going by their uniforms it was easy to see that they were students of the school here run by the Ashford family. One of them looked particularly disgruntled as he inspected the damage. "The didn't use R-G rounds. I figured they wouldn't against the Elevens."

"Hey look!" The slimmer of the two of them called out, pointing to something on the statue's wrecked surface, "Those are marks from hummer rounds! Get a clear shot of it!"

_There are people suffering in this place, and they're more interested in taking pictures?! _The sadness from before was suddenly replaced with indignation on behalf of the people of Shinjuku as Euphie glared up at the pair of them. At that moment, she fully understood Zero's fury. If this was what they'd become, she decided that he let them off easily by just taking Suzaku and not using the poison gas on all those people...if there ever had been any poison gas to begin with.

It seemed Zero's anger had other voices though as three more figures arrived on the scene, the leader of the group glaring furiously at them as he grabbed the schoolboys' camera and threw it aside. "Get outta here, you damn Britannian bastards!" He yelled at them, getting right in their faces.

_Oh no, if this goes further then..._she glanced back at the burial ground behind them, if a fight broke out here it could spread to the bodies buried. Hadn't they been through enough already without being desecrated further? The thought seemed to resonate in Suzaku's mind as well as he was suddenly rushing up towards them, a brief "stay here" being all he sent to her as he ran up the rise.

"H-how dare a lowly Eleven..." one of the schoolboys started talking, though he was clearly intimidated by the forwardness of the red haired man.

Forwardness that was further agitated by being called that, "Don't call me an Eleven!" He snapped at them angrily, "I'm Japanese!"

"Wrong!" The other, slimmer one shouted back, though he kept his distance, "You seem to forget that you people lost, so show your betters some respect!"

"Respect?!" The redhead snapped back before laughing snidely "That's big, coming from a Dog of Britannia!" In the days following Zero's appearance, his initial insult of Jeremiah had become a common chant for the especially angry Japanese. It had a very desirable effect, from their perspective, of causing the Britannian population to get angry but hold themselves in. It was when they couldn't control themselves that most of the violent outbreaks that had occurred in the last week broke out "Go on!" The redhead mocked "Why don't you wag your tails and go barking to mama!"

His provocations were starting to rile the two schoolboys up, clearly being members of the population that were short on temper, their anger overcoming their fear as the broader one took a dangerous step forward. However before the first blow could be swung, Suzaku's voice cut through to them. "Stop please! No more violence here!"

The Japanese man turned to glare at him as he reached them, swatting out at his face, "Stay out of this!" He barked angrily, his hand clipping the side of Suzaku's face causing his sunglasses to go flying off. For a moment the two groups fell silent as they all recognised the face of the person who'd been on the television almost as much as Zero had been these last few days. Then the Japanese man who'd knocked him back spoke up again, "You...you're Suzaku Kururugi!"

"The guy who killed Clovis?" One of the Britannians whispered.

"No, that was Zero."

However, the discussion of two schoolboys was now lost on the redhead as he turned his ire on the Honorary Britannian, if anything looking even angrier as he spit on the ground at Suzaku's feet. "What a waste of his time, saving a goddamn traitor." His words caused a flinch in the boy, making him step back some as the Japanese man geared up for another salvo. "Big deal, Honorary Britannian, but let me make something clear: Nobody gives a fuck. You sold your pride, your people, your soul, and yet you dare call yourself Japanese?!" The more he spoke, the louder and clearly more angrier he became until he was pretty much spitting the words out.

"No!" Suzaku pleaded, clearly unhappy at where this was going, taking another step away, shaking with emotion "You're wrong! I didn't give up any-"

"I am NOT wrong!" The Japanese man snarled, pointing a vicious finger back at the two Britannian schoolboys "They're nothing but dogs, but you? You're even worse!" His temper finally snapping, the man lunged forward, his right arm pulled back and his hand ball into a fist as he charged at Suzaku "You're just the dogs' bitch!"

For one terrifying moment, it seemed to Euphie that the fist would connect...and then Suzaku...it was as if he was made of water as he calmly swerved around the incoming body, grabbed the outstretched arm and flung the entire body over his shoulder. The Japanese man went sailing over him, landing flat on his back a couple of metres away from his intended target, Suzaku himself standing slightly crouched, a loose defensive position, in case the two other Japanese men tried to take him on. Going by their looks however, it was clear that they weren't about to try anything against a trained soldier.

But going by his own look, it was clear that Suzaku had taken no pleasure in taking action against the man. "Stop, please!" He begged his fallen adversary, "I warn you I've been trained in military combat. Don't make me fight against my own people."

_He still considers himself Japanese..._she found herself thinking, knowing that most Honorary members of the empire usually gave up their old lives and accepted the Britannian culture. It was rare that someone chose to accept the Honorary status and keep up some of their old customs...but that move he'd pulled off to subdue his attacker wasn't one that she'd been taught in her self-defence classes. It was foreign to her...a Japanese technique. _He's blended himself in with Britannia and yet, he's managed to keep his soul in Japan. These really are his people._

The loudmouth however had other opinions as he got back onto his feet, glaring at Suzaku heatedly "Like hell we're your people!" And it looked like he was about to try for another swing, missing how his intended target's stance hardened slightly in preparation, however one of his friends called out to him before he could do anything.

"Come on, Tamaki!" He snapped, sounding more annoyed with him than anything for having to be pulled into this, "Just let it go already."

The man whose name was Tamaki glanced at his friend then back Suzaku before grunting furiously and stalking away, hands in his pockets. The other two followed after him, but not before left them with a final parting shot, "Damn sell-out."

It was quite clear that those words hurt him just as much as Suzaku's head drooped down, though his expression didn't change everything else spoke for him. Frowning worriedly, Euphie picked up his bag and hurried up to him, calling out his name which caused him to blink and look up at her. "Are you all right?"

Seeing her concern for him must have flipped a switch or something because he smiled at her, relatively weakly considering how much he could laugh, and took the bag out of her hands. "Yeah," he assured her calmly, "I'm fine."

_Thank god for small mercies. _She thought to herself, though she could still see some level of upset emotions in his eyes but decided not to comment on it. He'd already had enough to deal with, she suspected, just by coming back here to the scene of a slaughter. Even if he was in the service of the empire, there had to be a part of him that was disgusted by the events that took place here. It pained her enough as it was knowing that Clovis had been capable of such cruelty, but she suspected that Suzaku was feeling it even worse, having been given the order to kill who he considered to still be his own people. At least for now he was okay.

Unfortunately the remaining pair chose that moment to make themselves known as the wider of the two schoolboys grunted angrily as he picked up his camera. "Well I'm not okay!" He snapped at Suzaku's back angrily, "Just look at my Prime-G and my LX-4!"

"Why did you wait?!" The slimmer one snapped at him angrily, "Dammit, some honorary citizen you are!"

"Why did you let 'em go?" The wider one demanded of him, shoving his face in front of Suzaku's, "You should'a just killed 'em! What's a couple of dead Elevens to a guy like you anyway?"

_Obviously a lot more than an unfeeling baffoon like yourself! _She felt the words rise to the tip of her tongue, but years of etiquette training shut her mouth down as Euphie watched Suzaku take the verbal abuse. Regardless though, she still felt her anger at the Britannian rise, her reservations on the current foreign policy of the empire rising in her again. Finally she decided to hell with it as the fat ruffian continued his harassment of her companion and she walked in front of him to stand between the two. Without giving the idiot a chance to back down, she struck him across the cheek sending the camera flying out of his hands again.

"That is enough!" She snapped authoritatively at the two boys. "I'll not have you oafs insulting my friend a moment longer!"

"What the?!" The offending schoolboy snapped, raising his hand to strike back, "You goddamn apologist!" However before he could lash out, the slimmer one grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "What the hell're you doing man?!"

"Dude! Do you know who that is?"

Glancing at him, she saw the spark of recognition in his eyes and couldn't help a small triumphant smirk not unlike that of her older sister's. _Looks like those leaked tabloid photos came in handy after all. _She thought to herself amusedly as she saw the fat one suddenly realise who he was dealing with as well.

"No way!" He stuttered, forgetting the camera and backing up, "You...but you're..!"

"Leave this place immediately!" She snapped, glaring at the pair of them, "Your presence is an affront to the people who lost their lives here. And rest assured, Ruben Ashford will be made aware of your behaviour."

The age-old weapon of death by authority worked its wonders, and soon the two schoolboys were clearing out of Shinjuku Ghetto as fast as they could. No doubt there would be some ridiculous story going around at their school this time tomorrow but frankly Euphie couldn't find it in herself to care.

"Give them a title and they think they have the right to the world." Sighing in undisguised disappointment she turned to her slightly stunned companion. "I apologise, Suzaku. It seems I'm seeing the best of Japan today as well as the worst of Britannia." And it wasn't just those boys, people like that were easy to deal with. Her gaze returned to the burial mound they'd left behind, a testament to the cruelty of her country and the family that ran it. "I often wonder," she admitted to him, "what does the emperor hope to achieve by subjugating so many people? Does he truly believe that the strong must rule over the weak without question? Are we in the right to take the land of others just because we are strong and they are weak?" Inwardly she was asking a number of other questions, the integrity of the knights had already been questioned, corruption was spanning in the form of drug smuggling and private deals blamed on the native population than the colonising businesses. In the end it boiled down to one simple question: Was the empire truly becoming a rotten establishment? Was Zero right about them?

And then Suzaku spoke up, asking a question she hadn't thought of, "Is it really so bad to be weak?" He'd turned his attention back to the wrecked statue, a pensive look on his face as he studied what was left of it, "Back when I was a child during the war, the world seemed like such a sad place without any hope at all." And now it appeared that he was reliving something, his gaze no longer on the statue but somewhere beyond it, somewhere Euphie couldn't see, to a place that she had never been. "Starvation, disease, racism, living in a never ending cycle of hate."

_A cycle? _Was that really the world they lived in? Euphie had admittedly lived a somewhat sheltered life in Pendragon, always having whatever she needed provided for her whenever she wanted it. But then, she only had to look behind her to see the other side of things, where people had to get by with whatever they had, where they had to make do, and any kind of innocence was soon lost as time after time their peace was lost. Whether by terrorism or the empire's cracking down on the establishment, the peace was lost and conflict returned. A cycle of conflict. _But still surely..._

"The cycle _must _be broken." Suzaku declared firmly, his gaze finally somewhat coming back to Earth as he started rummaging around in his coat pocket, "Somebody has to do it. Of course though," he sighed sadly to himself as he pulled out a small pocketwatch, the glass cover broken open and the hands frozen still "it's doubtful that the one who does it will make all the bad things go away." His grip on the watch tightened a little bit, "No one should have to lose any more of the people they love...if a world without war could last then..."

But what hope was there then if the person who replaced the one from before was no different? She'd heard the rhetoric, had even asked it once but had gotten the same reply. A new ruler could improve things for people but they could always make it worse, the uncertainty of people was what always made for an unknown future. At least, people back home had argued, with an empire the chances of things changing drastically was minimal. But what comfort did that bring to the people out here? But was a world without war any more possible than a decent ruler? Good leaders came and went but war still existed.

All the same though, his introspection had caught her attention, and Euphie couldn't help but ask him "How would you do it?"

He shook his head, "I don't know," he admitted, but then he took another look at his ruined watch and she saw his expression flicker from pain to stone decisiveness "but if I stop trying, then my father's death would have been for nothing."

_His father..._of course! Genbu Kururugi took his own life in the closing days of the occupation of Japan. His name still stood as an icon of hope, often called 'the Last Samurai' because he'd fought in his own field of politics to save Japan just as hard as the soldiers on the front line. It was even rumoured that he'd called for 'do or die' resistance against the empire, although that was mostly reported by members of the JLF. All that was officially known was that he'd died in his own office, found with a knife in his stomach and lying in a puddle of his own blood. It was this discovery which quickly prompted the surrender of the Japanese forces, though many in the military had sworn to continue the fight themselves. Seven years later the memory of the Last Samurai still held strong in resistance cells. Euphie could only imagine the shock of many if it ever got out officially that Suzaku was his son.

Before she could enquire into just how he'd dealt with that situation, considering her own position in things, they were interrupted by an explosion nearby. Just a way off, in the remains of an arena, there was smoke rising into the air.

_What in the world? _Before Euphie could continue her thought, Suzaku had grabbed her hand and was pulling her along towards the exterior of the ghetto. They didn't get very far though as a large military truck suddenly cut them off, the door opening to reveal an indigo haired woman with pale blue eyes wearing the standard orange uniform of the Special Corps. "Suzaku!" She called out to him "It's dangerous here, get inside now!"

"The Purebloods are having another one of their silly squabbles, so we'd better get out of here." another more jeering tone clarified, one that Euphie quickly recognised as the white haired pudding loving head engineer of the A.S.E.E.C, Earl Asplund, grinning self-satisfactorily as they approached the truck. Upon sighting Suzaku for himself, the bespectacled Earl couldn't resist a chuckle as well as a sly smirk. "Oh and by the way, what a shame about your acquittal. Seems you'll be working for me again."

_Brother always did say that the Earl of Asplund was a bit of a socio-path. _Euphie thought to herself as the engineer promptly turned his back on them again. _But I always thought he was exaggerating. Suppose not._ Shaking her head she was about to carry on, but then Suzaku halted in his tracks and called out to the earl, "Wait please! Isn't this a good chance to gather data for the Lancelot?"

_Data? _

Suddenly it hit her as she realised what he was going to do, even as Earl Asplund turned back to grin happily at him. The new Knightmare Frame that everyone thought she didn't know about...Suzaku was it's pilot? _But the native population is never allowed to use Knightmares, not even Honorary citizens have that right. _Then again, considering who his boss was, maybe that wasn't as big a deal as she was making it out to be. But still, he was going out there to fight soldiers who had a lot more experience than him. "Suzaku..."

But he'd already discarded his bag, his set expression one of grim determination. "I'm sorry Euphie," he apologised, "but we have to say goodbye. I think the Lancelot can stop them...I need to do this...I must!" Before she could respond to that, he'd turned back to the pair in the truck, "Lloyd?"

The Earl of Asplund was already moving, giggling merrily like a child who'd been told he was going to be playing his favourite game all night long, He flipped a switch somewhere on the dashboard of the truck, and the back opened up, issuing out a large humanoid figure covered up by a brown tarp which Suzaku was now running toward. The thick metal latches holding onto the arms lifted away, and Euphie was treated to a dazzling display of white and gold, two swords mounted on its back, and a head that looked to be fashioned in the style of a medieval helmet.

_So that's Lancelot? _Despite the situation, Euphie couldn't help a sudden feeling of amazement and pride. _It really does look like a knight._

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto  
****Sector Four, Arena **

**The Knight of Orange**

_Damned cowards! _Jeremiah snarled to himself as he dodged the planted explosive on the arena stands, landing on the flat surface of the field itself. A moment later he was rattled by a shower of bullets which he quickly manoeuvred his Sutherland away from, coming to a halt right in the centre of the arena, dust and smoking obscuring his vision. _Come out and face me you bloody terrorists! Jeremiah Gottwald is not one to shy from a challenge! _He quickly got his wish as four silhouettes appeared from out of the hue, Sutherlands by the look of them. _So, Zero, using our own machines again are we? _If he thought that would get the drop on a Margrave Knight he'd have to think again.

But as the dust settled and colour joined form, he suddenly realised that this was most certainly not a terrorist ambush. All four Sutherlands wore the dark red shoulder armour of the Purist Faction, all of them armed with a lance that was now aimed at him. Often enough they used the lances to practise their skills, blunted down to avoid damage to the Knightmare Frames but still usable as a proper weapon. This however was not a training exercise and those weapons were definitely sharp at the tip.

It only took him a moment to figure out what was going on here and he hit the comm. button. "This is Gottwald! All units stand down immediately!" It was a long shot but maybe there was still someone in this group that wasn't so stupid as to actually go through with this.

It turned out that wasn't the case, as the Sutherlands kept their weapons trained on him as if he was some undesirable animal that needed squashing. And with four against one odds, even a good pilot like himself was going to have trouble, still he needed to know one thing. "Whoever is behind this insubordination, I demand that you show yourself!"

Then the comm. blared into life, as the pilot of the Sutherland directly in front of him responded "Who else but a true Britannian, Orange?"

_That voice..._he knew it already, and the full confirmation that one of his closest subordinates was behind this sent Jeremiah into a new rage. "Kewell, you dirty coward!" He roared at the treacherous pilot before him. "There was no sighting of Zero was there?! You just fed me that story to get me out here!"

To his credit, Kewell didn't try to deny it, "We need to wipe away the stain of this disgrace, Jeremiah." He told him firmly, "Before Princess Cornelia takes up her post here, we must be pure once more. Don't take it personally, Orange, this is simply our way of keeping our officials honest."

_Honest?! A four-on-one sneak attack is supposed to be a show of honour?! _Furious at the blond pilot in front of him, Jeremiah raised his Sutherland's assault rifle and fired at the enemy unit in front of him. "You surround me with tricks and lies, and you call this honest combat?!" He demanded furiously, gunning his landspinners and charging directly at Kewell. He never reached him however as the Sutherland on his left slammed into him, sending his Knightmare spinning away as the third Sutherland fired its slash hearkens at him, knocking his rifle out of his Knightmare's hands. The fourth one then charged at him, forcing him to retreat. That however turned out to be a mistake as the enemy unit's lunge came in short, stabbing into his lost weapon and making it unusable. Jeremiah came to a stop, his Sutherland on its knees, and all he could do was grunt at his blunder. _Damn it! Now I've lost range! All right then, Kewell, if you want me dead then come! _

He still had a few armaments at his disposal, it was all a matter of them getting in close. Thankfully it seemed all they were using were the lances, which meant they had to get in close as well. And come close they did, Kewell's Sutherland leading the charge lunging his lance forward. Thinking quickly, Jeremiah turned to his Knightmare's stun gun, raising the left arm up. If he could just get off a shot, Kewell would be immobilised and that would be one less Knightmare to worry about. However it was not to be, as the moment the stun gun was deployed it was intercepted by a lance, the tip's non-conducting alloy sending the electric current sparking in several long streams.

"Don't worry Jeremiah," the infernal pilot's voice sounded over the radio, mockingly courteous "we'll say you died in battle. Your family's name won't be disgraced."

_Disgraced?! Our name will be smeared enough if I let a whelp like you kill me, Soresi! _This damn glory-hound would not be the one to take him down! Fury pulling at every muscle in his body, Jeremiah forced the attacking Sutherland back and made to stand up. However before he could get anywhere one of the other Sutherlands came in from behind, stabbing it's lance into his Knightmare's right leg, wrecking the landspinner.

"Damn it!" Acting quick, Jeremiah deployed his Sutherland's tonfas and swiped at the machine behind him. But that was about all he could do, with his Knightmare's leg damaged he couldn't go anywhere..._I'm trapped. _All four attacking Sutherlands had surrounded him again, their lances ready and pointed straight at his cockpit. "So this is how we show respect to fellow knights now?" He snarled at them all, "Is this how knights behave?!"

"_What is a knight if not a shining symbol of chivalry?"_

_Zero! _Why now?! Why did that infernal terrorist's words have to echo in his mind now in his last moments?

Across the battlefield though, Kewell was oblivious to the Margrave's plight, snapping haughtily "Silence Orange! Your two-faced nature resulted in the escape of Prince Clovis' murderer as well as an Eleven that dared try to call himself our equal!" The landspinners on all the Sutherlands revved up, "This is the wave of the future Gottwald, led by a true Britannian! All Hail Britannia!"

"All Hail Britannia!" At that united cry, the four Sutherlands charged forward, their sights set firmly on Jeremiah Gottwald.

_I'm out of moves..._he realised belatedly, everything coming to a crawl as he saw a lance coming at him in every screen. _Is this it? Am I to die before achieving anything? _How could this be his end? To die before he located the true murderer of his one and only Lady? How could he face her again without dispensing the justice that was owed her? To die now would be inexcusable! _I must live! If there is anyone who understands my plight, please give me the power to live!_

And then, someone answered his pleas. A slash hearken, gold-tipped and crimson coated, slammed into the ground between him and Kewell. Momentarily stunned, the whole attacking force came to a halt, factspheres shooting out as they scanned in the new data, but then the newcomer wasn't hard to miss. There stood atop the arena wall, arm outstretched, was the white-and-gold prototype A.S.E.E.C weapon. Then the pilot called out on an open channel to all of them, a familiar voice to.

"Stop it!" The voice of Private Suzaku Kururugi shouted to them "You're all Britannian soldiers!"

For Jeremiah's part, he was stunned speechless at the arrival of the Honorary Britannian he'd served up as Clovis' killer. What was he doing interfering like this? Kewell however could care less, "What business does the Special Corps have here?!" He snapped at Kururugi spitefully, "Run back to your master! This is an internal matter, any and all interlopers will die!"

But the white Knightmare made no move to retreat. Instead, it retracted it's slash hearken which snapped into place on its wrist and reached back for the two swords that hung on it's back. "I can't stand by and ignore this senseless violence!" Kururugi snapped back, the two sword's in his Knightmare's hands starting to glow pink at the core, then the blades slid closed over the glowing cores before turning a dark shade of red.

_Are those the new MVS weapons? _Jeremiah had heard rumours of a new sword type weapon for knightmares that utilised vibration and temperature to increase cutting effectiveness. That red colour the blades had turned reflected the level of heat now emanating from the sword...and that experimental unit was wielding two of them. _He could cut us all up if he wanted to and I can't move!_

Ahead of him, it sounded like Kewell had come to the same realisation as he had, but unlike him the fool was still willing to fight the Lancelot. His Sutherland's slash hearkens fired out at the new unit, but the Lancelot jumped high and out of range. Following his lead, the other three Knightmares fired their hearkens at the white unit, but Kururugi dodged them all effortlessly before cutting away at them all, either batting them away or cutting their cables off with an MVS. And all the while he was shouting at them "We're on the same side!"

Stuck where he was, Jeremiah could only watch as the unit piloted by his scapegoat fought off the four Knightmares with seeming ease. _What is he doing? _Was the only thing he could ask himself as the white Knightmare landed in front of him and kneeled down, drop kicking the Sutherland on his left and destroying the lance of the one on the right with those deadly new swords. It was then that Jeremiah noted that the Lancelot was creating a perimeter...around him! _Suzaku Kururugi is saving me? _

He was so dazed by the total irony of this situation that he nearly missed the raging yell of Kewell as he came barrelling towards him with his lance. "WE CAN AT LEAST KILL ORANGE!"

_Shit! _Thinking fast, he raised his Sutherland's right arm up and deployed his tonfa just in time to block the blade but that was all he could do pinned down as he was and Kururugi was occupied with the other three units. All it would take would be for Kewell to pull back, then strike again and that would be it. _If we just had one more person! _

Someone must have been feeling very courteous upstairs, because out of nowhere another Sutherland bearing Purist colours suddenly smashed into Kewell's knocking it aside. Before he could inquire who had come to his aide, the comm flicked on and he was graced with the face of his right-hand. "Villetta!"

She just smirked back at him, "I heard the boys were having a party and wanted in." Glancing forward though she gazed in amazement at what he knew was the Lancelot dealing with Kewell's cronies. "Wait a minute, that Knightmare...isn't it piloted by...?"

"No need to tell me Villetta," he cut her off, "I'm well aware of who's piloting it."

That was all she needed and she turned her attention to Kewell, firing her Sutherland's assault rifle and forcing him back. As for the Lancelot, it continued to force the other machines back, relieving them of all their weapons with its superior load-out, and then pulled back to shield Jeremiah's downed unit. "Still wanna fight?" He could clearly hear the challenge in Kururugi's tone as he stared down the group, Kewell's unit in particular.

As for the disgraced Margrave, all he could do was laugh bitterly at the predicament he was in. _Attacked from all sides by cowards pretending to be knights, only to be rescued by the very person I tried to set up. _It was certainly a situation he wished he wasn't in.

On the other side of the battlefield, Kewell let out a quiet curse before ordering his men, "Stand down." At once the three units backed away, leaving only him to face the other three.

_Is he actually surrendering? _That was unlike him, enough time on and off the battlefield had taught Jeremiah a lot about the soldiers under his command. And having known Kewell for most of his time as a soldier, Jeremiah knew that the blond pilot had a temper about as short as Prince Cassius' patience, and held about as much patience as Princess Carrine did acceptance of anyone else's thoughts. Most important of all though, Kewell had a considerable hatred of the idea of giving up. _So what is he really planning? We've destroyed all of his unit's weapons and he can't use a stun gun from that range...wait, he still has something! _His suspicions were proved correct as the hip armour on Kewell's Sutherland opened up and he pulled out a small cylindrical device.

_I knew it! _"Villetta, Kururugi, get clear! He's using a chaos mine!"

"Now die, you Orange scum!" Without further ado, Kewell tossed the mine at the three of them.

"Get out of here!" Jeremiah yelled at the two Knightmares in front of him.

"But if we move, what'll happen to you?" The Lancelot pilot asked. Was he actually worried about him?

"Never mind me, Private! Do you want to die?!" But the comm suddenly shut off and the Lancelot didn't move. It simply stood its ground as the mine opened out. "Idiots! Get clear!"

"No!"

The new voice cut through his orders for them to escape and he looked around in time to see a girl with waist-long pink hair rush ahead of him on his screen. _What does she think she's...?!_ And then he saw her face as she looked up at the Lancelot. _But that's...!_

"Euphie!" Kururugi suddenly sprang into action as the chaos mine went off, the Lancelot crouching down as hellfire descended upon them all. However not a single one of the blazing shrapnel touched them, as a green ray of light emanating from the white machine blazed out of its arms forming a protective umbrella around them all. _That Knightmare is impassable..._Jeremiah found himself thinking as the shrapnel continued to be deflected away from them and into the surrounding area, burying its way into the ground or the stands. _And that pilot...he's no mere grunt._ For years the empire had kept Knightmare privileges reserved only for those born Britannian, a move Jeremiah had always assumed was because they couldn't risk substandard pilots operating the machines or the chance that the natives were actually terrorists in disguise. Now though he found himself rethinking that possibility; if Kururugi could pilot a Knightmare as skilfully as that, what would happen if all the Honorary Britannians were given the right to pilot them? The display the Lancelot had shown of its might had been almost terrifying to watch.

At last the spray of shrapnel came to an end, the spent chaos mine dropping to the floor empty and harmless.

_Wait! What about? _Looking down at the Lancelot's feet, he saw to his relief that the girl was safe and sound behind the green shield, covering her head in case of a stray shot. That was another one that he owed Kururugi now, even though he doubted the Private realised the significance of the person he'd just saved.

Speaking of whom, the moment the mine dropped to the floor, she had stood up straight in a manner that would have done her sister proud and had strode out in front of the Lancelot. In a commanding tone worthy of her station she ordered firmly "Everyone lower your weapons, at once!" Though the command was meant for all of them, he noted maybe a bit smugly that she was directing her stern glare at Kewell's group. "In my name, I command you! I am Euphemia li Britannia, Third Princess of the Royal Family! I am taking command here!"

_Princess Euphemia! _The younger sister of the commander of his old guard, Princess Cornelia li Britannia, was stood before them all. _And that fool Kewell almost killed her!_

Even so, as Kururugi dismounted from his Knightmare and ran up to her, surprise clear across his face, Jeremiah was hit with a sudden realisation.

"_What is a Knight, Jeremiah, but a shining example of chivalry? A hero who protects the weak from the strong!" _

Weakness was one without power, or strength or any kind of advantage that others did, and today he'd had no power that he could claim, his strength was taken from him as Kewell's men ambushed him, and any kind of advantage he'd had as a pilot was claimed from him as four Knightmares attacked him at once. At one point it had been very clear to him that he had been about to die...at that moment, he had been the weak one. And then Suzaku Kururugi had appeared out of nowhere in his shining Knightmare, strong and powerful, and though he should have just left him to die after what Jeremiah did to him, he'd leapt in to his defence. The pilot of the Lancelot, an Honorary Britannian, was more worthy of the title of Knight right now as set down by Zero's proclamation. And what of himself?

"_Have you become so rotten that you will do anything to obtain power? Using an innocent man to further your own personal gains?"_

He had put Kururugi up for the murder of Prince Clovis, knowing that the accusation was false but deciding it was worth it to further his agenda. To show the world the truth that Britannians only could be trusted, he'd formulated a lie. At that time, he'd been the strong one, and Kururugi had been weak. And he'd used that advantage to further his own personal goals at the young pilot's expense. Using the belief of superiority over the weak, he'd abused a man of his rights...and by doing so he had brought shame to everything he'd believed in.

_I...I've shamed you, my Lady. _The realisation was almost crippling as it hit him, that he Jeremiah Gottwald had become the thing he was fighting to do away with. His Lady had been common born, and so by Emperor Charles' own claims, that made her inferior to the other consorts who were born of noble blood. But that hadn't stopped him from loving her, nor had it stopped him from swearing on his sword to guard her and her children...and yet...here and now..._My Lady..._If he'd been on his feet outside, he would have collapsed on his knees and begged the heavens forgiveness. As it was, he just slumped forwards in his seat, unaware of Villetta's calls, or Princess Euphemia's worried questioning. He didn't hear the cockpit hatch open or feel Private Kururugi carry him out.

At that moment, he was in another land, on his knees before his One True Lady and her children, her usual kind smile gone from her face replaced with shrouded disappointment. Princess Nunnally, sat in her wheelchair and her eyes closed, saddened a how far he'd fallen, turned away from him. As for Prince Lelouch, he was dressed in the same white clothes that he'd been garbed in when he'd reneged his claim to the throne in front of the whole court. His expression was no different either, furious and upset as he glared at Jeremiah. He didn't say anything though, but then he didn't need to. His eyes, identical to those of his mother, burning with an undying fire, said all that needed to be said.

And all Jeremiah could do was beg them forgiveness. He had failed them all once again.

* * *

**Tokyo Settlement  
****Viceroy's Palace**

**The Goddess of Victory**

Of all the Areas in all the Empire, it had to be Area 11 that had chosen to be the newest source of trouble for Cornelia li Britannia. There wasn't a place she would rather not be, than the land that had already claimed the lives of two of her sibling and had now deigned to consume a third. She'd seen the broadcast, but then the whole world had, and she could honestly say that for the rest of the day she'd ordered every last man she could spare to get working on who the hell this Zero person was. By the time she got to Area 11, she wanted to know everything about him, where he lived, what he liked to eat, his favourite designer, his favourite website online, everything and anything about him, she wanted to know about it. As such it had thoroughly pissed her off when all they could get her was the same damn recording over and over again: His opening appearance before Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald, calling her former subordinate 'Orange' and then ripping into him about being a knight before jumping off the bridge with the accused murderer and disappearing from sight.

Annoyingly though she had to commend the masked man for his thinking ahead, collecting that damning recording of her brother giving the 'clean slate' order. _That tells me something about him. _She thought to herself calmly as her transport landed in the Viceroy's palace in Area Eleven. _It tells me __he's a thinker, I wonder if he's as much of a fighter._ Then there was the way he'd delivered the information, playing it on loudspeakers for everyone's ears. But more than that, he'd done it when he had the whole world's attention after he'd claimed responsibility for Clovis' murder. There was no one in the empire that hadn't heard that order now, even in Area 18 where she'd been just the other day. She'd seen it and had been furious with her younger brother, regardless that he was dead, for being so stupid as to order an attack on the populace. Not only would it incite further rebellion against them, it also painted the empire in a very bad light if _someone _just happened to find a recording of the order and use it to their advantage. Even in her old post she'd felt the ramifications as the insurgents became far more aggressive in their attacks, fury over the empire's media covering up such a blatant disregard for human life.

_The European Union is going to have a field day with this._ Thanks to Clovis, the homeland would be going through a political shit-storm which was likely to have Schneizel running back and forth doing damage control with the already tense relationship between the empire and the EU. And that wasn't even counting the hell they were sure to get from the Chinese Federation over all of this.

If she was a betting woman, Cornelia might have thought that Zero planned it all just like that. It certainly felt like that was the case going by the way he sought out the camera to give everyone a good look at his lacking a face._ The man certainly has a taste for the theatrical._ She noted that observation down as she stood from her seat and signalled for Darlton and Guildford to follow her out, going over the possible ways she could use that to her advantage.

However she put those concerns on a temporary pause as she stepped off the transport and came face to face with a more immediate concern. It had been reported that Euphie had gone on another impulsive run around the Settlement without her guard, relying on a boy she met by pure chance to look after her._ Euphie, such recklessness is what gets royalty killed! _She'd never forgotten the last time a royal had been killed because her guard was missing and she fully intended to never let it happen again.

Outwardly however, she kept a firm cool appearance as she addressed the Sub-Viceroy of Area 11, "I heard what you did Euphemia." She said by way of greeting, not bothering to clarify because both knew what she was talking about, "That was a foolish stunt you pulled just to go sightseeing."

The younger sister had the decency to look contrite, likely already having been chewed out by her guard once she'd been returned to the palace by Earl Asplund. "I know sister, forgive me but-"

"You will address me as Viceroy, Sub-Viceroy Euphemia." Cornelia interrupted her apologies, which she had no need for anyway, "Seeing as we're sisters it will be necessary for us both to follow a stricter level of protocol." In public anyway. Once she got her inside however she was going to make sure Euphie had been taking care of herself properly whilst she'd been here. _Knowing her she's probably been eating out more than she should have, not balancing out her diet properly. She looks pretty now but if she keeps it up, that narrow waist is going to get very wide._ However, there was still business to attend to and so turned her attention to the Area's Vice Minister stood to her right, quivering a little bit as he took in the line of red-coated knights at her back. _Brilliant, another spineless gold-miner. No wonder Gottwald's Purebloods have been so prominent in this Area. _Sighing inwardly she addressed him "Now then, Vice-Minister, give me your report."

The shaky man quickly gave her a short bow, his hand over his heart, and obeyed, "Of course, your Highness. The first order of business is a welcome feast in your honour, followed by a formal addressing of the-" That was all he got out as Cornelia, already fed up with the man, drew her custom designed pistol and pointed it directly at his head.

"Sloppy." She snapped at the foolish man, "Senile. _Corrupt."_ As if she cared about such damned niceties as a bloody party with streamers and cake! If there was one thing she was sure her brother could have done without it was all the damned social functions he loved to show his face in, never missing a chance to stroke his own ego. It only helped their enemy that Clovis was so vain, showing such a nice face to so many people and then giving an order that was the reverse of what they'd all believed to be his true face. And speaking of the enemy.

"_Where _is Zero?!" She demanded of the incompetent fop, was the only investigation into that man done by herself on her ride here? "Why haven't you taken steps to capture him? And _why," _she glared at the group of blue jacketed soldiers that were now shaking in their boots as her gaze fell on them, "are these idiots here when they should be out on patrol?!"

That sort of set the tone for the rest of the evening as the slackers suddenly got to it and bolted out of her sight, leaving just her, Euphie, her knights, two of which she just knew were chuckling to themselves, and a very scared Vice-Minister. Sighing to herself, Cornelia holstered her weapon again and strode onward into the palace, the Sub-Viceroy close behind. _It seems Zero is just one problem that needs taking care of. _She thought to herself, frowning in annoyance. _Well then, I had better get to it._

In the weeks to come the whole of Area 11 would tremble at the clash of two strategic masterminds. The Goddess of Victory, Cornelia li Britannia, had arrived.

* * *

**And that's the arrival of our resident Witch of Britannia. I like her. She doesn't take crap and she has a cool gun. I like girls with cool things. As such I like Kallen, the Guren is cool. Also I gave Lancelot its due, though I might have gushed a little. I can't help it, I like giant robots with kids as pilots (veteran Gundam nut). Don't worry, once I give him a worthy opponent (Kallen) Suzaku won't seem as curb-stompy anymore.  
****Also, Milly's going to play a role in this story, as you may have noted in that first section. It always got me that out of everyone on the Council, Milly didn't have a larger role in things. Though I guess that was likely to do with her doing her own thing instead of just being another noble...but I wanna do something with her later on so I'm changing things a bit. Also, it always weirded me out that of all people she didn't cotton on to Lelouch being Zero.  
****Back to Lelouch next chap. We take care of Suzaku's arrival at Ashford, some edited meetings with the Council (three guesses what my job will be with that), and we'll have a bit more Kallen. Not too much though, cos I wanna get onto Cornelia's debut on the field.  
****Is Saitama going to happen? Or will the changes Zero has already made effect her plan on how to draw him out? Bad press after all can be just as damaging as a lost battle. **


End file.
